Cancer Treatment and Nutrition

Cancer and Nutrition Problems

• Cancer and its treatments can cause side effects that affect nutrition, particularly when tumors involve the head, neck, esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas, or liver.

Cancer Treatments Affecting Nutrition

• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Radiation therapy
• Surgery
• Immunotherapy
• Stem cell transplant

Effects of Cancer and Its Treatments on Nutrition

• May cause malnutrition due to a lack of key nutrients
• Can affect taste, smell, appetite, and the ability to eat enough food or absorb nutrients
• Can cause weakness, tiredness, and inability to fight infection or complete cancer treatment

Malnutrition and Its Consequences

• Can decrease quality of life and become life-threatening
• May worsen if the cancer grows or spreads
• Common causes of malnutrition in people with cancer: anorexia and cachexia

Anorexia and Cachexia

Anorexia

• Loss of appetite or desire to eat
• Common symptom and most common cause of malnutrition in people with cancer
• May occur early or late in the disease, or upon diagnosis

Cachexia

• Condition marked by weakness, weight loss, and fat and muscle loss
• Common in people with tumors affecting eating and digestion
• Can occur in people eating well, but not storing fat and muscle due to tumor growth

Effects of Tumors on Nutrient Use

• Tumors in the stomach, intestines, or head and neck can change the body's use of protein, carbohydrates, and fat
• Body may not absorb all nutrients from food, even if eating enough

Combining Anorexia and Cachexia (CAS)

• Can cause weight loss and decreased lean body mass
• Treating high-risk patients to prevent CAS may lead to better outcomes
• Olanzapine, a drug with increased appetite and weight gain side effects, is being studied to treat CAS with mixed success