Nutrition of people with cancer is of great importance in the treatment process. Even in 20 percent. of cancer sufferers, the immediate cause of death is not disease, but wasting of the body caused by a lack of adequate nutrition. Malnutrition is diagnosed in 30 to even 90 percent. patients who are affected by this disease. To prevent it, specialized nutritional support is necessary - medical nutrition.

Malnutrition is a serious problem in cancer patients. There are many reasons for this: the location of the tumor, making it difficult for the patient to eat food by mouth, contraindications to eating many products, loss of appetite related to the disease or treatment. Malnutrition is most often found in patients with cancers of the digestive system and head and neck, less often in patients with tumors of soft tissues, urological or gynecological. For example, in patients with pancreatic cancer, up to 80-85% of malnourishment may be, in patients with gastric cancer this percentage is on average 65-85%, and in patients with esophageal cancer 60-80%.

Additionally, the chemotherapy and radiotherapy itself can lead to disorders of the nutritional status, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and lactose intolerance. The available data show that, for example, in patients irradiated due to malignant neoplasms of the head region, the weight loss during treatment is 4-10 kg - emphasizes Prof. dr hab. med. Piotr Rutkowski, president of the Polish Society of Oncological Surgery.

Consequences of eating disorders in people with cancer

A consequence of eating problems is rapid weight loss, muscle weakness, deterioration of psychomotor performance, impaired immunity, as well as digestive disorders, absorption and intestinal peristalsis. Wounds heal worse, infections and complications develop more often, hospitalization and convalescence time is longer.

Every fifth person with cancer does not die from disease, but from malnutrition - points out Dr. n. med. Stanisław Kłęk, oncologist surgeon, president of the Polish Society of Parenteral, Enteral and Metabolism (POLSPEN).

- Weight loss often does not allow for proper treatment (surgery or chemotherapy).or radiotherapy), as well as makes patients more likely to suffer from infections and postoperative complications - emphasizes prof. dr hab. n. med. Maciej Krzakowski, President of the Polish Society of Clinical Oncology (PTOK).

Malnutrition in cancer can even lead to death. In 20 percent people suffering from cancer, the direct cause of death is not disease, but exhaustion of the body caused by a lack of adequate nutrition.

Therefore, experts agree that an integral part of the therapy should be nutritional treatment, consisting in assessing the nutritional status of each patient and the need for all necessary nutrients, and, if necessary, administering appropriate the amount of energy, protein, electrolytes, vitamins, trace elements and water and monitoring its clinical condition.

Nutrition for people with cancer

In an adult, the supply of protein should be at the level of 0.8-1.5 g / kg bw / day, while the energy demand fluctuates around 25-35 kcal / kg bw / day. In cancer, the body's need for protein may increase significantly. It depends on many factors, such as the nutritional status, stage and location of the neoplasm, methods of treatment, as well as the general condition of the patient. The maximum demand for protein should be at the level of 2-3g / kg bw / day with energy supply up to 35-45 kcal / kg bw / day. In addition, the body should be provided with all the necessary macro and micronutrients and vitamins, which should be administered in amounts that cover the daily needs of the patient

Important

It is not always possible to cover this demand on the basis of a standard home diet, so that it can provide the body with all the necessary ingredients. In such a situation, specialists recommend using nutritional support. Medical nutrition, also known as nutritional intervention, should be included in the therapy in parallel with anti-cancer treatment - says Assoc. n. med. Stanisław Kłęk, President of the Polish Society of Parenteral, Enteral and Metabolism (POLSPEN).

Medical nutrition - when and how to use it?

Medical nutrition is a treatment support method used in many diseases and can completely replace the traditional diet or constitute an important supplement to it. The benefits of using specialized nutritional support cannot be overestimated. Medical nutrition should be an integral part of the therapy carried out in order to improve or maintain the proper nutritional status,improving the prognosis and accelerating the cure or enabling the use of multi-specialist combined treatment - emphasizes prof. dr hab. n. med. Jacek Fijuth, Chairman of the Board of the Polish Cancer Society (PTO).

Medical nutrition is the standard of care for patients with head and neck neoplasms, as they are most often exposed to deterioration of nutritional status and neoplastic cachexia. It should also be used in patients with:

  • no possibility to start an oral diet for more than 7 days, even if the patient is properly nourished,
  • present or impending malnutrition (BMI 10% in the 3-6 months before starting treatment),
  • Inability to maintain daily food consumption in excess of 60% recommended standard for more than 10 days,
  • abnormal nutritional screening result on admission, according to one of the two methods: SGA or NRS 2002.

The choice of the method of medical nutrition should be based on the analysis of the patient's clinical condition, the degree and type of malnutrition, the planned period of nutrition and the period of using nutrition (e.g. preoperative, postoperative).

Worth knowing

The "Medical Nutrition - Your meals in the fight against disease" campaign has started

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the role of specialized nutrition in disease, especially oncology, and to educate about medical nutrition as an integral part of treatment.

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Diets