Nutrition and cancer treatment

DEFINITION: Cancer treatments often affect people differently, and side effects can range from minor to severe. Eating well and following good nutrition habits before and during treatment help maintain strength, prevent body tissue breakdown, rebuild tissues, defend against infection, cope with side effects, and make some treatments more effective.

Cancer treatments: There are five main treatments used to fight cancer: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. Surgery removes tumors and cancer cells that have not spread to surrounding tissues. It is often combined with other treatment methods. After surgery, the protein content and number of calories in the patient’s diet should be increased to assist in healing and recovery. Following surgery, healthy eating helps the patient maintain strength, energy, and a stable weight while increasing the body’s stores of nutrients. Good nutrition is essential for healing, decreasing infection, and increasing tolerance to side effects from other treatments. Any gastrointestinal tract surgery must be carefully monitored, as it can lead to malnutrition. As of 2023, the National Cancer Institute reports that 80 percent of patients found to have upper gastrointestinal cancer have already gone through significant weight loss at the point of diagnosis.

Radiation therapy, a powerful tool in the fight against cancer, directs radiation at the affected body area, preventing cancer cells from multiplying and spreading. While it's true that healthy tissue is affected along with the cancer cells, the human body's remarkable resilience usually allows it to recover after treatment ends. Radiation can be used alone or combined with other treatments, and the duration of treatments, usually five days a week for several weeks, can vary. Nutrition side effects, if any, depend on the length of treatment and the area to which the radiation is directed.

Chemotherapy requires potent drugs to disrupt the cancer cell’s ability to grow and multiply. Chemotherapy drugs are either taken orally or injected and may be used alone or combined with other treatments. Chemotherapy affects the entire body, not just the cancer site. As a result, healthy tissue is affected. The digestive tract is very susceptible to side effects from this treatment.

Hormone therapy uses drugs to block hormone production by the body. Hormones that influence the growth of some cancers, such as breast and prostate cancers, are targeted. Hormone therapy can also involve the removal of hormone-producing organs, which is thought to end or slow tumor growth by removing the source of the hormones on which these tumors thrive. Hormone therapy can affect the ability and desire to eat.

Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, enlists the body’s immune system to stimulate natural defenses to help fight the offending cancer. It can be used alone but is usually combined with other therapies. This type of therapy can affect fluid retention and increase appetite.

Nutrition suggestions during treatment: Eating a healthy diet is very important during treatment. This often requires that patients plan ahead, enlist the help of family and friends, and try different foods and preparation techniques. When experiencing nutrition-related side effects during active treatment, patients are advised to eat foods and liquids that are well tolerated. All patients who undergo treatment are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and visit a registered dietitian to ensure proper eating habits. 

Bibliography

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