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Nutritional Assessment Tools for Patients with Cancer: A Narrative Review

Wang PP, Soh KL, Binti Khazaai H, Ning CY, Huang XL, Yu JX, et al.

Curr Med Sci, 2024 Feb;44(1):71-80.
PMID: 38289530 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-023-2808-4

Cancer patients are at high risk of malnutrition, which can lead to adverse health outcomes such as prolonged hospitalization, increased complications, and increased mortality. Accurate and timely nutritional assessment plays a critical role in effectively managing malnutrition in these patients. However, while many tools exist to assess malnutrition, there is no universally accepted standard. Although different tools have their own strengths and limitations, there is a lack of narrative reviews on nutritional assessment tools for cancer patients. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a non-systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from their inception until May 2023. A total of 90 studies met our selection criteria and were included in our narrative review. We evaluated the applications, strengths, and limitations of 4 commonly used nutritional assessment tools for cancer patients: the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM). Our findings revealed that malnutrition was associated with adverse health outcomes. Each of these 4 tools has its applications, strengths, and limitations. Our findings provide medical staff with a foundation for choosing the optimal tool to rapidly and accurately assess malnutrition in cancer patients. It is essential for medical staff to be familiar with these common tools to ensure effective nutritional management of cancer patients.
HLA-E as an Emerging Checkpoint and Biomarker in Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy

Sanmugawil R, Parmeswaran L, Abdul Rahman N, Hassan N

Curr Med Sci, 2026 Apr;46(2):318-331.
PMID: 41790393 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-026-00171-2

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules play a predominant role in cancer immunotherapy by harnessing the immune system's capacity to differentiate between healthy and malignant cells. Most human cell types express HLA class I molecules, which interact with T-cell receptors (TCRs) to activate T cells and initiate adaptive immunological responses. The efficacy of several immunotherapeutic strategies, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T-cell therapy, and personalized cancer vaccines, is significantly influenced by HLA diversity and polymorphisms. Human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) protein that plays a crucial role in immune regulation. Unlike classical HLA molecules, HLA-E exhibits unique immunosuppressive properties that influence tumor immune evasion mechanisms. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of HLA-E expression in various hematological malignancies and solid tumors. HLA-E interacts with inhibitory receptors on natural killer (NK) cells and certain T-cell subsets, thereby modulating immune responses against tumor cells. The expression of HLA-E on tumor cells can lead to immune escape by inhibiting the cytotoxic activity of NK and CD8+ T cells, which are critical for effective anti-tumor immunity. This review summarizes how HLA-E presents antigens, discusses recent advances in identifying HLA-E-restricted peptides, and evaluates current HLA-E-dependent and HLA-E-independent adoptive immunotherapies. Understanding the role of HLA-E in tumor immune evasion provides valuable insights for developing novel personalized cancer immunotherapies. Targeting HLA-E has the potential to increase the effectiveness of current treatments and improve patient prognosis across diverse cancer types.
Integrative Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Analyses on the Mechanisms of San-Zhong-Kui-Jian-Tang in Treating Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Tan CH, Sivakumar H, Luo DG, Cen YX

Curr Med Sci, 2025 Aug;45(4):755-774.
PMID: 40526272 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-025-00067-7

OBJECTIVE: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive cancer with a high mortality rate. San-Zhong-Kui-Jian-Tang (SZKJT), a Chinese herbal formula, has long been used as an adjuvant therapy in cancer clinical practice. Although its therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms in OSCC have been previously elucidated, the potential interactions and mechanisms between the active phytochemicals and their therapeutic targets are still lacking.
METHODS: The present study employed network pharmacology and topology approaches to establish a "herbal ingredients-active phytochemicals-target interaction" network to explore the potential therapeutic targets of SZKJT-active phytochemicals in the treatment of OSCC. The role of the target proteins in oncogenesis was assessed via GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, and their interactions with the active phytochemicals of SZKJT were calculated via molecular docking and dynamic simulations. The pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity of the active phytochemicals were also predicted. RESULTS: A total of 171 active phytochemicals of SZKJT fulfilled the bioavailability and drug-likeness screening criteria, with the flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, and naringenin having the greatest potential. The 4 crucial targets of these active phytochemicals are PTGS2, TNF, BCL2, and CASP3, which encode cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), BCL-2 apoptosis regulator, and caspase-3, respectively. The interactions between phytochemicals and target proteins were predicted to be thermodynamically feasible and stable via molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Finally, the results revealed that the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 pathway and TNF signaling via NF-κB are the two prominent pathways targeted by SZKJT.
CONCLUSION: In summary, this study provides computational data for in-depth exploration of the mechanism by which SZKJT activates phytochemicals to treat OSCC.

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