Nutrition in Cancer Care

Nutrition is an important part of comprehensive cancer care and supportive care. Cancer itself, as well as treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and CAR-T cell therapy, can affect appetite, food intake, digestion, absorption, and overall nutritional status.

Nutrition support does not treat cancer itself, but it can help patients maintain body weight and muscle mass, improve nutritional status and strength, and better tolerate cancer treatment. Early nutrition assessment and intervention are particularly important for patients at risk of malnutrition.

Nutrition is important for all patients during cancer treatment, but not everyone needs nutritional supplements or artificial nutrition support.

Further nutrition assessment may be needed when a patient experiences significant weight loss, persistent loss of appetite, reduced food intake, difficulty swallowing, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, or problems with digestion and absorption.

Patients with gastrointestinal cancers, such as stomach, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers, as well as those undergoing major surgery, intensive chemotherapy, or HSCT, may be at particularly high risk of nutritional problems.

Nutrition support should be individualized according to the cancer, treatment, ability to eat, and nutritional status. It is not simply a matter of eating more or taking large amounts of a particular nutrient.

When patients can eat normally, meeting energy, protein, and other nutritional needs through food is generally preferred. If regular meals are not enough, oral nutrition supplements may be recommended under professional guidance.

If adequate nutrition cannot be taken by mouth but the gastrointestinal tract is functioning, enteral nutrition, such as tube feeding, may be considered. Parenteral nutrition may be needed in selected patients when the gastrointestinal tract cannot be used adequately.

There is no single “anti-cancer diet” that is appropriate for everyone. During treatment, adequate energy and protein intake are generally important. Restrictive diets, prolonged fasting, or high-dose supplements should not be used without appropriate medical or nutritional guidance.

Patients with severe reductions in white blood cells, those recovering from HSCT, or those with significant immune suppression should pay particular attention to food safety and infection prevention. Nutrition plans may also need to be adjusted for patients with kidney or liver problems, diabetes, or other medical conditions.

Patients who have persistent difficulty eating, significant weight loss, or signs of malnutrition should discuss their needs with their healthcare team or a clinical dietitian so that nutrition support can be tailored to their treatment and condition.