# Malnutrition screening tools (MUST, NRS-2002, MST, PG-SGA)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/malnutrition-screening/  
OnCo record `malnutrition-screening` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Quick questionnaires that flag who is at risk of malnutrition: recent weight loss, low BMI, poor appetite, illness severity. Anyone flagged should see a dietitian.

## Summary

MUST (UK), NRS-2002 (Europe), MST (Australia) are two-minute screens validated in oncology; the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is the oncology-specific assessment tool that scores weight history, intake, symptoms, function and examination. GLIM (2019) provides consensus diagnostic criteria for malnutrition (phenotypic: weight loss, low BMI, low muscle mass; aetiologic: reduced intake or inflammation). Screening at diagnosis and each treatment cycle is recommended by ESPEN, ASCO and ESMO; audits show it happens in a minority of clinics.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: MUST; PG-SGA; NRS-2002; GLIM criteria

## Sources

- NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: malnutrition: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/malnutrition
- Muscaritoli et al., ESPEN practical guideline: clinical nutrition in cancer (Clinical Nutrition 2021): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.005

## Connected records

- technologies: [CT body composition and sarcopenia measurement](https://onco.cc/technologies/ct-body-composition-sarcopenia/), [Enhanced recovery (ERAS) and perioperative nutrition](https://onco.cc/technologies/eras-perioperative-nutrition/), [Enteral and parenteral nutrition support](https://onco.cc/technologies/enteral-parenteral-nutrition/), [G8 geriatric screening tool](https://onco.cc/technologies/g8-geriatric-screening/), [Geriatric assessment](https://onco.cc/technologies/geriatric-assessment/), [Nutrition support and cachexia management](https://onco.cc/technologies/oncology-nutrition/), [Oncology nutrition assessment and medical nutrition therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/nutrition-screening-mnt/)
- terms: [Cancer cachexia](https://onco.cc/terms/cachexia/), [Nutrition impact symptoms](https://onco.cc/terms/nutrition-impact-symptoms/), [Palliation in pancreatic cancer: biliary and duodenal stents, coeliac plexus block, enzymes and cachexia](https://onco.cc/terms/pancreatic-palliation-obstruction-pain-nutrition/), [Sarcopenia](https://onco.cc/terms/sarcopenia/), [Weight loss, fat digestion and enzymes with gallbladder cancer](https://onco.cc/terms/weight-loss-and-fat-digestion-biliary/)
- bottlenecks: [Cachexia, toxicity and the limits of the patient](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-cachexia-supportive/), [Fragmented care and guideline gaps](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-care-fragmentation/)
- key papers: [ESPEN practical guideline: Clinical Nutrition in cancer](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-muscaritoli-clin-nutr/)
- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- drugs: [Pancrelipase (pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy)](https://onco.cc/drugs/pancrelipase/)
- trials: [PREHAB: multimodal prehabilitation before colorectal cancer surgery](https://onco.cc/trials/prehab-trial/)
- ideas: [A dietitian in every gastrointestinal and head and neck tumour board](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-nl-dietitian-in-every-mdt/)
- roadmaps: [Diet, exercise and lifestyle roadmap: causes established → interventions that disappointed → exercise proven as treatment](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/nutrition-lifestyle-roadmap/)

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