Tiffany DeWitt, MS, MBA, RD, LD

Nutrition intervention can help minimize the number of complications patients may experience during oncology treatment.

The diagnosis of cancer and the following treatment both have a profound impact on all aspects of a patient’s life. Quality of life is impacted in many aspects, including physical functioning, psychological well-being, and social life. Even at diagnosis, up to 50% of cancer patients present with some nutritional deficit that may be impacting physical functioning. Most of the anticancer treatments (ie, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation) will jeopardize food intake and therefore nutrition status at some point during treatment. This disruption contributes further to declining quality of life throughout care and into survivorship.

Malnutrition impacts many patients with cancer, yet the clinical consequences of malnutrition are often overlooked.