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Cancer, after cardiovascular diseases, is the most common problem faced by modern societies. According to scientists, by 2030 the number of deaths from cancer may increase to 13,1 million, while in 2008, 7,6 million people died of it. Reports on the overall number of cases are also disturbing – in the years 1999 to 2009 it increased by as much as 40 percent.
The material was created in cooperation with Nutramil Complex
Types of therapy
After a malignant tumor is diagnosed, two types of therapy are performed.
The first is to undergo a surgical procedure to remove the tumor and possibly the tissues affected by the tumor. After the procedure, chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy are used to fight cancer cells in the patient’s body.
The second way is supportive care. The most common standard of care in the fight against cancer is the use of both methods to increase the effectiveness of therapy.
The treatment, although directed at the neoplasm, is very burdensome for the whole organism, also for healthy cells. Often times, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are associated with side effects that greatly reduce the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, a very important element of supportive treatment is also proper management of the patient’s nutrition in this difficult period.
What tumors are the most common
Data from 2009 show that the incidence of individual cancers in women was as follows: breast, colon, lung, uterine and ovarian cancers.
Males are most often diagnosed with cancer of the lung, prostate, colon, bladder, stomach and kidney.
The role of nutrition in cancer therapy
Thinking about the oncological patient before our eyes, we have a very thin, even emaciated patient. What is happening is that the cancer changes the way the body metabolizes nutrients. The body uses up to 20 – 30% more energy than the body of a healthy person. Therefore, already at the diagnosis of the disease, many patients (15, up to 40%) are already malnourished, and the lack of proper nutritional management may aggravate this condition. Depending on the location of the cancer, the number of malnourished people may increase up to 80%. in the advanced stage of the disease. Malnutrition, so dangerous in sick people, can lead to cachexia, that is, cancerous cachexia, which adversely affects the patient’s general condition and the course of treatment. As specialists are alarming – as many as one in five patients struggling with cancer dies not from cachexia caused by the disease, but from malnutrition caused by the fight against cancer [1]!
Cancer-related foods must not only provide the body with all the necessary ingredients to function, but must also give the right amount of energy and protein to fight the disease and rebuild damaged tissues.
Therefore, when designing a patient’s menu, remember that each meal should be wholesome and high-protein!
If the patient has problems with taking the right amount of food, it is worth giving high-protein preparations of food for special medical purposes between meals, eg Nutramil Complex. These products are in the form of granules that are easy to prepare: as a delicious cocktail or can be added to a meal – to increase its nutritional value.
Patients’ problems during therapy
During the treatment of cancer, patients very often complain of a lack of appetite, which may result in weight loss. Unfortunately, the lack of response or the implementation of nutritional treatment may adversely affect the results of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The prevalence of malnutrition also depends on where the tumor is located. Most often it meets patients;
- with gastric cancer – 19% of patients [2],
- neuroendocrine neoplasms – 25% [3]
- with advanced cancers of the colon – 39% [4]
- with tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract – 52% [5]
The most common and causes of malnutrition and cachexia in cancer patients are:
Loss of appetite – patients consume up to 60% less food compared to normal pre-disease consumption, while the body requires up to 20% more energy.
The patient feels full even after consuming a small amount of food.
A sick person, subjected to anticancer therapy, suffers from nausea, vomiting, becomes very sensitive to smells and tastes.
The location of the tumor – can cause pain while suing meals, a feeling of lingering in the stomach. It can also negatively affect the absorption of nutrients. A complex of symptoms due to local tumor growth: pain upon swallowing, retention in the stomach, poor gastrointestinal patency and nutrient malabsorption;
Dangerous malnutrition
If a patient’s nutritional status worsens, it can lead to neoplastic, neoplastic wasting, characterized by weight loss, fatigue, anorexia, inflammation, insulin resistance, breakdown of muscle proteins, hypochromic anemia, and hypoalbuminaemia.
In such a situation, it is very important to implement appropriate nutritional treatment. In addition to basic nutrients (protein, fats, carbohydrates and electrolytes), the diet should also take into account the supply of vitamins and trace elements. The amount of energy for a patient undergoing cancer therapy should range from 25-35 kcal / kg bw / day, and in the case of emaciated people, from 40-45 kcal / kg. The energy demand should be adjusted individually by a doctor or dietitian and should take into account the age, sex, physical activity of the patient, and possibly other co-morbidities.
How to construct a diet
Carbohydrates
The patient’s body needs energy, 55% of which should come from complex carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetables and fruits). The correct amount of carbohydrates is extremely important because energy should not be taken from the proteins that the body is suffering from uses to rebuild damaged tissues and cells.
Protein is an attitude
The diet of cancer patients should be high in protein.
Protein, which is the basic building material of all organs in the human body, is especially necessary during the regeneration of the resulting damage.
The body’s demand for this nutrient increases by up to 20% of the total energy during the day. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the proper supply of easily digestible protein in the patient’s diet, so that the body does not use proteins that make up skeletal muscles, which may result in the destruction of the body.
Fats – Quality Matters
The quantity and quality of supplied fats are of great importance for patients. It is recommended that their consumption provides no more than 25-30% of the daily energy requirement. Fats in the diet of an oncological patient should be of plant origin, with a high content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, because – as research shows – they have the ability to reduce inflammation and stabilize energy expenditure. Animal fats in the diet should be limited.
Nutrition during chemotherapy
One of the most commonly used methods of cancer therapy, chemotherapy, disturbs cell cycles, especially in rapidly dividing cells. This can lead to inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, bleeding and ulceration. During chemotherapy, patients often experience such side effects as diarrhea, vomiting, malabsorption. This type of therapy also adversely affects the patient’s taste and smell, which may also contribute to the development or aggravation of malnutrition.
The nutritional status of the patient should be constantly monitored, because malnutrition reduces the effectiveness and tolerance of the chemotherapy used.
It is important that the diet does not worsen the patient’s condition, you should give up poorly tolerated ingredients, spices that irritate or are poorly perceived by the patient. If the amount of food consumed is insufficient, it is worth introducing food for special medical purposes into the diet to supplement all nutrients needed by the patient. One should pay attention to the osmolarity of the products, the lower it is, the lower the risk of osmotic diarrhea after consumption.
Nutrition of patients during radiotherapy
Virtually all patients undergoing radiotherapy have difficulty eating properly. It may be particularly dangerous in patients with cancer of the larynx, mouth and throat who suffer from swallowing disorders leading to the development of malnutrition. Patients experience mucositis, dysphagia, and pain when swallowing. In patients with neoplasms located close to the pharynx and larynx, it is recommended to introduce parenteral nutrition earlier.
Summation
We should remember that malnutrition of a sick person is associated with a worse quality of life, but above all with lower survival. Nutritional treatment should be implemented immediately in the event of malnutrition or when the patient’s food intake is interrupted for more than 7 days.
If traditional meals are not able to meet the patient’s energy needs, it should be supplemented with, for example, Nutramil complex. It provides a large portion of energy and is an independent and wholesome meal. And the Nutramil complex Protein will ensure a high supply of protein – it contains as much as 18,8 g per serving.
[1] Nutr. J. 2015; 14: 123
[2] Fukeda et al. 2015, Japan
[3] Maasber et al., 2015, Germany,
[4] Aaldriks et al. 2013, Netherlands
[5] Attar et al. 2016, France
The material was created in cooperation with Nutramil Complex