The importance of the nutritional status of cancer patients

..Writing.
The cancer It is one of the diseases of greatest health importance, not only because of its frequency but also because of its high morbidity and mortality and because of the enormous damage to the quality of life of the patient and his family. The number of cancers diagnosed in Spain in 2022 is estimated to reach 280,100 cases. This represents a slight increase over previous years. However, there has been an improvement in the mortality rates of cancer patients, due to prevention, early diagnosis and therapeutic advances.

The number of cancers diagnosed in Spain in 2022 is estimated to reach 280,100 cases

The relationship between nutrition and cancer is twofold. On the one hand, an inadequate diet can increase the incidence of certain types of cancer. Specifically, 30-40% of cancers in men and up to 60% in the case of women. And, on the other hand, the cancer itself and its treatments can induce the appearance of malnutrition, which occurs in up to 40-80% of patients during the course of their disease. The causes of malnutrition in cancer are related to the tumor, the patient and/or the treatments.

In addition, more than half of cancer patients with loss of muscle mass reduce or interrupt their treatments due to toxicity. «Malnutrition related to the disease in general, and more specifically in cancer patients, has a very negative effect on their clinical evolution, quality of life, toxicity derived from treatments, etc. which confers a worse clinical prognosis”, comment the Dra. Samara Palma, coordinator of the Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Unit. Endocrinology and Nutrition Service of La Paz University Hospital.

Cancer and its treatments can induce the appearance of malnutrition, which occurs in up to 40-80% of patients in the course of their disease

Depending on the type of tumor, variable prevalence figures are found, predominating in patients with pancreatic and stomach cancer (83-85%), in lung, prostate and colon cancer (54-60%), and in breast cancer (32-48%). The maximum expression of malnutrition in cancer is tumor cachexia, which will be directly or indirectly responsible for death in a third of cancer patients. In fact, weight loss is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in advanced cancer.

With these data as a backdrop, the specialists emphasize the importance that the approach to cancer must be comprehensive, and that nutrition is a key element in being able to deal with treatments, which must be personalized depending on the type of tumor and other parameters. «Because no two patients with cancer and malnutrition are the same. Therefore, if we treated all patients in the same way, we would be limiting the chances of success derived from the application of individualized treatments.. Nutritional medical treatment must be guided by an adequate assessment of the patient’s nutritional status and taking into account the patient’s clinical context”, Explain.

Specialists emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach to cancer and its nutritional status, key to being able to face treatments

In this sense, the specialized nutrition division of Danone has focused on responding to these needs, bringing unique nutritional solutions to each cancer patient profile, and promoting collaborative projects to support the medical community. For this reason, it has recently launched a campaign «Each cancer patient is unique, so are our solutions”, addressed to medical professionals. Thus, this initiative aims to increase knowledge about the importance of personalizing nutritional treatment for each cancer patient by offering specific nutritional solutions.

“Illness-related malnutrition in cancer patients produces a significant loss of muscle mass, which not only implies a loss of strength with its repercussions on the patient’s own functional status, but is also associated with an overall decrease in survival. , greater chemotherapy toxicity and postoperative complications, shorter time to tumor progression, etc. The loss of muscle mass in cancer patients behaves as an independent marker of poor prognosis”, comments Dr. Palma.

Up to 30% of cancer patients with a poor prognosis do not receive adequate nutritional treatment

Nutrition has been studied extensively, explaining its role, both causal and protective, in the development of cancer. Thus, specialists point out that cancer patients generally receive late nutritional treatment. Up to 30% of cancer patients with a poor prognosis do not receive adequate nutritional treatment. «The assessment of nutritional status in cancer patients is essential to characterize, as far as possible, the existing malnutrition and its severity”, adds Dr. Palma.

In the words of Gonzalo Zaratemedical director of the specialized nutrition division of Danone «We have promoted the campaign in order to help health professionals so that they can receive training and knowledge in order to be able to assess the nutritional status and the specific needs of their patients in the most appropriate way, which will revert to an enormous benefit to them.”

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