Cancer and its treatment can cause side effects associated with nutritional problems. Diet is an important part of cancer treatment. Eating the right foods before, during and after treatment can help patients feel better and stronger. To ensure good nutrition, people should eat and drink foods that contain key nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fat and water) in sufficient quantities. Symptoms that interfere with eating include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation (constipation), mouth sores, trouble swallowing, and pain. Appetite, taste, smell and the ability to eat enough food or absorb nutrients from food may be affected. Malnutrition (lack of key nutrients) can result in patient becomes weak, tired, and unable to resist infections or withstand cancer therapy.
Common causes of malnutrition in cancer patients., Among others:
· Anorexia - some patients may have anorexia when they are diagnosed with cancer. Almost all patients who suffer from cancer will develop anorexia.
· Cachexia - is a wasting syndrome that causes weakness and a loss of weight, fat and muscle. Often occurs in patients with tumors in the lung, pancreas, and upper gastrointestinal tract.
Nutritional needs of cancer patients is very individualized. There are patients who need more, others less. It needs also vary from time to time during the course of the disease and treatment depends on the run. But in general, the recommended calorie requirement is 25-35 calories / kg body weight / day, 1-2 grams of protein / kg body weight / day. Vitamin supplementation as needed, especially for those who can not eat a balanced nutritious diet.
Then, how to provide nutrition for people with cancer? There are three ways to do. Than through the mouth or orally, can also be through the pipes, and hoses. Giving through the mouth, is the most preferred. Only, in patients who experience anorexia and change the way a sense of taste, feeding in this way often become a problem. This is because, he could not distinguish the taste of food into the mouth. Such disturbances are usually experienced by patients with cancer associated with digestion.
To overcome this, the presentation of food must be appetizing to eat. For example, food can be given more seasoning. Gift-force should not be forced. Given little food, but often. For patients with swallowing disorders, should be given an easy to swallow soft foods. As for patients with sprue, give soft foods, avoid foods too hot, sour, spicy and sharp.
When feeding through the mouth is unacceptable, consider feeding in other ways. If gastrointestinal function is still good, the food supplied through the pipe. Pipe can be installed through the mouth, can be through the nose which empties into the stomach or small intestine, depending on the location of the tumor.
There are still other ways, namely the food supplied through the hose (parenteral). This method is risky but in certain circumstances to consider. This way is usually done in cancer patients with impaired gastrointestinal function, or patients who underwent extensive intestinal surgery cuts. Nutrition perenteral need close monitoring because in addition to expensive, also has considerable side effects.
Cancer patients and caregivers have the right to take decisions based on adequate information. Health team, with guidance from a registered dietitian, should inform patients and caregivers about the benefits and risks of using nutrition support in advanced disease. In many cases, the risks outweigh the benefits. However, for people who still have good quality of life but can not eat and drink by mouth, enteral nutrition can be run.
