Objective  We investigated the nutritional status of newly admitted cancer patients in oncology department of the Second Hospital of Yichang/Second People’s Hospital, analysis the possible causes of these nutritional status, to explore the possible effect of nutritional therapy on the prognosis of patients with malignant tumor. Methods  We collected and registered basic data of patients with malignant tumor who hospitalized in the Second Hospital of Yichang/Second People’s Hospital during July 2015 to September 2015. Basic data on age, sex, diagnosis, height and weight were collected. NRS 2002 table was used to identify nutritional risk screening. Statistical analysis was used to analyze possible causes of nutritional status. Results  51 cases of malignant tumor were collected in two months. The stages were all in the middle and late stages, including 23 males and 28 females. The age range was 27~77 years old. At admission, the incidence of nutritional risk was 90.2%, and the incidence of undernutrition was 9.8%. Further analysis showed that the men's incidence of nutritional risk (95.7%) was higher than the  women’s (85.71%); Middle aged and elderly patients’ (>50years) incidence of nutritional risk was higher than the young (≤50 years), the differences were statistically significant (the P values were 0.042 and 0.036 respectively). Conclusions  Most of the patients with malignant tumor in our hospital were middle and advanced patients. The incidence of nutritional risk was high, and the incidence of nutritional risk varies greatly in different age and sex. We should pay attention to the nutritional status and nutritional risk and the causes of nutritional risk. For the nutritional status directly affected the prognosis of the patients, active nutritional therapy in clinical antitumor treatment will be beneficial for patients.