Advanced cancer and nutrition support
Nutrition support for patients with advanced cancer aims to improve quality of life, by maximising food enjoyment and providing relief from food-related problems.
Patients and families understandably focus on what patients are able to eat. Food should be encouraged as a source of enjoyment, and maintaining an interest in food can help both emotionally and physically.
For patients that are eating well, the main focus should be on providing the food the person prefers to eat, at the times they feel like eating. In this way, the pleasure derived from food is optimised.
For patients with a reduced intake, the following dietary advice may be helpful:
- Eat small, frequent meals or snacks.
- Keep portions small. Simple measures like serving food on a small plate may be less off putting.
- Choose foods that are higher in protein and/or calories e.g. full fat milk rather than skimmed milk, or full fat yoghurt in preference to diet yoghurts.
- Add extra calories and protein to food by adding cream, cheese, or butter to savoury items. Try adding sugar, honey or evaporated milk to sweet items.
- Make meal times as relaxed and pleasant as possible. Gentle encouragement to eat can be helpful, but insistence can be wearing for both the patient and the carer.
- Eating plays an important social role for many people and some may favour eating in the company of others.
- If patients really don’t feel like eating, then they should try to drink small amounts of nourishing fluids (e.g. milk, fruit juice, milk shakes, and smoothies) as often as they can.
It may be appropriate for any dietary restrictions (e.g. diabetic diets) to be stopped or relaxed. Any changes in diet need to be discussed with the patients’ medical team first who can offer advice, support and reassurance.
Further suggestions to help alleviate nutrition related side effects affecting food intake such as poor appetite, dry mouth or taste changes can be found in the section how to cope with side effects of the website.
Many of these symptoms can be improved, and so it is essential that patients discuss them with their Doctor or Healthcare professional. Achieving good symptom control will benefit food intake.
If dietary intake remains poor, nutritional supplement drinks may be helpful. Supplement drinks contain protein, calories, vitamins and minerals. They are available in a variety of styles and flavours, and patients may benefit from trying a few different types so that they can find the ones they prefer.
Doctors can provide a prescription for nutritional supplement drinks, and patients should talk to their Healthcare professional who can help to arrange this.
Source: National Cancer Institute
