Historical perspective on nutritional support of cancer patients

Initially, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was not used in cancer patients because of the fear of sepsis and the potential for stimulation of tumor growth. It was used first in cancer patients who had failed all attempts at enteral nutrition and in whom adequate anticancer therapy would have been otherwise impossible. TPN candidates today remain patients with responsive tumors who cannot tolerate the toxicity of cancer therapy because they are malnourished.