[Nutritional support in cancer patients - Perceptions of healthcare professionals and patients]

Introduction: malnutrition in patients with cancer negatively impacts their quality of life, treatment response, survival, and other clinical outcomes. Despite its importance, the access to specialized nutritional support remains limited in clinical practice. Objective: to analyse the perceptions and practices of healthcare professionals and patients regarding nutritional support in oncology in Spain. A secondary objective was to identify the main barriers and strengths in its implementation. Methods: an observational study was conducted using a structured survey, targeting healthcare professionals who were members of various scientific societies, as well as individuals with cancer affiliated with patient associations in Spain. Results: a total of 393 responders were obtained from healthcare professionals and 165 from patients. Although most responders recognized the importance of nutritional status in cancer care, only 27.3 % of patients had access to specialized nutritional support. The main barriers identified included a lack of resources and limited time availability, hindering the routine implementation of nutritional screening. Conclusions: the findings of this study highlight the need to establish standardized protocols and promote training in oncology nutrition to optimized nutritional care and improve the quality of life of patients with cancer in Spain.