Explain the role nutrition therapy plays in the treatment of cancer

Answer 1

?The goals of nutrition therapy for cancer patients are to maintain a healthy weight, preserve muscle tissue, prevent or correct nutrient deficiencies, and provide a diet that patients can tolerate and enjoy despite the complications of illness. Appropriate nutrition care helps patients preserve their strength and improves recovery after stressful cancer treatments. Moreover, malnourished cancer patients develop more complications and have shorter survival times than patients who maintain good nutrition status. For patients at risk of weight loss and wasting, the focus of nutrition care is to ensure appropriate intakes of protein and energy. Protein requirements are often between 1.0 and 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight daily and may be somewhat higher in critically ill patients. Patients should consume adequate energy to prevent weight loss; those who cannot eat enough food may be able to meet their needs by supplementing the diet with nutrient-dense oral supplements. Tube feedings or parenteral nutrition may be necessary for patients who develop complications that interfere with food intake or have long-term or permanent GI impairment. Whenever possible, enteral nutrition is strongly preferred over parenteral nutrition, to preserve GI function and avoid infection.