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

Learn about the side effects of cancer treatment on nutrition and how cancer affects digestion. Understand how chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other treatments impact nutrition.