Nutritional care in metastatic RCC: patient experiences and reported unaddressed needs

Although renal cell carcinoma (RCC) presents unique nutritional challenges due to the disease itself and treatment side effects, little is known about the prevalence of nutritional issues among RCC patients in a real-world setting. This study aimed to investigate the patient-reported prevalence of nutritional issues and the response of healthcare teams to these challenges.

A survey among RCC patients in Germany was developed in collaboration with patient organizations and included 46 questions covering demographics, nutritional issues, and cancer care experiences. It was distributed online from April to July 2022. Responses from 94 German RCC patients were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Nutritional concerns were reported by 60.6% of participants, with diarrhea (23.4%), loss of appetite (21.3%), and nausea (20.2%) being the most common issues. Unintentional weight loss was reported by 49.4% of patients, but only 13.9% were referred to nutrition specialists. More than two-thirds reported a negative or extremely negative impact due to these problems on their physical condition and quality of life. Additionally, 67% of patients felt that their nutritional needs were not taken seriously by their healthcare teams. Most patients (84%) think that nutritional care should be part of routine cancer care.

The findings reveal significant gaps in the nutritional care of RCC patients. Screenings and proactive assessments do not appear to be performed as suggested by nutritional guidelines. Thus, nutritional counseling and support are obviously still not integrated into real-world comprehensive oncological care.