Clinical laboratory–based indicators of psychosocial vulnerability among hospitalised oncology patients

Psychosocial vulnerability plays an important role in shaping clinical trajectories and patient experience in oncology, yet its early identification during hospitalisation remains challenging. This retrospective observational study examined whether routinely collected laboratory data could be organised into a composite indicator of psychosocial vulnerability among hospitalised patients with tumour related conditions. Admission laboratory parameters across hepatic, renal, urinary, and haematologic domains were integrated to derive a laboratory based psychosocial vulnerability score, which was categorised into graded vulnerability levels. Associations between vulnerability, diagnostic severity, and length of hospital stay were explored using descriptive analyses, cross tabulation, and ordinal trend testing. Among 107 patients with valid data, laboratory abnormalities across multiple physiological systems were common. While more than half of the cohort was classified as having low or mild vulnerability, a substantial proportion demonstrated moderate to very high vulnerability. Increasing vulnerability was associated with a progressive shift toward more advanced diagnostic categories and longer hospitalisation. Patients with higher vulnerability levels were disproportionately represented among prolonged hospital stays, and a significant ordinal trend was observed between vulnerability category and length of stay. These findings suggest that laboratory based psychosocial vulnerability reflects cumulative physiological stress that is clinically meaningful during inpatient oncology care. Integrating routine laboratory data into vulnerability assessment may support earlier recognition of patients at risk for complex hospital courses and inform more anticipatory, person-centred supportive care strategies.