Nutritional therapy for cancer-induced weight loss

Nutrition issues facing people with cancer are significant. The role of nutrition therapy is often assumed to be less important than pharmacologic interventions as outcomes are less clear in the literature. Especially important has been the focus on traditional outcomes such as morbidity and mortality rather than adopting a more patient-centered approach and including quality of life as a key outcome. There is a general failure to recognize weight loss early enough and to implement nutrition interventions, which are effective. The nutrition intervention should be composed of both a prescription and an implementation method. To achieve compliance, the nutrition therapy should be implemented in an aggressive manner. Data show that when compliance is achieved, outcomes in the form of improved quality of life and functional capacity can be achieved. For people with cancer and their care-givers, outcomes such as quality of life have meaning, and for patients with poor prognoses, this may hold more meaning than mortality and morbidity outcomes. Clinicians need to implement triage systems to identify patients for early intervention and focus on nutrient combinations. They need to be confident that with the right prescription and implementation, nutrition therapy can be successful and bring real benefit to patients with cancer.