Integrated nutritional care in cancer; about time?

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Healthcare Disparities

Background:

• Nutritional care is a critical but often overlooked aspect of oncology practice.
• Patients with cancer frequently experience neglect in receiving adequate nutritional support.
• This article addresses the challenges in providing optimal nutritional care within oncology settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the challenges associated with ensuring optimal nutritional care for cancer patients.
• To identify disparities in existing cancer nutrition guidelines.
• To highlight barriers faced by healthcare professionals in delivering nutritional care.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of key cancer nutrition guidelines (ESPEN, ESMO, ASCO).
• Examination of alignment with Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria.
• Identification of barriers to effective nutritional care implementation.

Main Results:

• Significant disparities exist among major European and American oncology nutrition guidelines regarding assessment and intervention.
• While guideline alignment with GLIM criteria presents complexity, shared principles for malnutrition management are evident.
• Key barriers impeding the delivery of good nutritional care by oncology health professionals were identified.

Conclusions:

• A standardized and pragmatic approach to nutrition assessment and management is essential for integrating nutrition into cancer care.
• Overcoming existing barriers requires a streamlined, evidence-based strategy.
• Emerging digital health solutions offer potential to enhance communication and improve nutritional care delivery in oncology.