Cancers are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the number of new cases is expected to rise significantly over the next decades. At the same time, all types of cancer treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and pharmacological therapies are improving in sophistication, precision and in the power to target specific characteristics of individual cancers. Thus, while many cancers may still not be cured they may be converted to chronic diseases. All of these treatments, however, are impeded or precluded by the frequent development of malnutrition and metabolic derangements in cancer patients, induced by the tumor or by its treatment. These evidence-based guidelines were developed to translate current best evidence and expert opinion into recommendations for multi-disciplinary teams responsible for identification, prevention, and treatment of reversible elements of malnutrition in adult cancer patients. The guidelines were commissioned and financially supported by ESPEN and by the European Partnership for Action Against Cancer (EPAAC), an EU level initiative. Members of the guideline group were selected by ESPEN to include a range of professions and fields of expertise. We searched for meta-analyses, systematic reviews and comparative studies based on clinical questions according to the PICO format. The evidence was evaluated and merged to develop clinical recommendations using the GRADE method. Due to the deficits in the available evidence, relevant still open questions were listed and should be addressed by future studies. Malnutrition and a loss of muscle mass are frequent in cancer patients and have a negative effect on clinical outcome. They may be driven by inadequate food intake, decreased physical activity and catabolic metabolic derangements. To screen for, prevent, assess in detail, monitor and treat malnutrition standard operating procedures, responsibilities and a quality control process should be established at each institution involved in treating cancer patients. All cancer patients should be screened regularly for the risk or the presence of malnutrition. In all patients - with the exception of end of life care - energy and substrate requirements should be met by offering in a step-wise manner nutritional interventions from counseling to parenteral nutrition. However, benefits and risks of nutritional interventions have to be balanced with special consideration in patients with advanced disease. Nutritional care should always be accompanied by exercise training. To counter malnutrition in patients with advanced cancer there are few pharmacological agents and pharmaconutrients with only limited effects. Cancer survivors should engage in regular physical activity and adopt a prudent diet.

Background: This practical guideline is based on the current scientific ESPEN guidelines on nutrition in cancer patients. Methods: ESPEN guidelines have been shortened and transformed into flow charts for easier use in clinical practice. The practical guideline is dedicated to all professionals including physicians, dieticians, nutritionists and nurses working with patients with cancer. Results: A total of 43 recommendations are presented with short commentaries for the nutritional and metabolic management of patients with neoplastic diseases. The disease-related recommendations are preceded by general recommendations on the diagnostics of nutritional status in cancer patients. Conclusion: This practical guideline gives guidance to health care providers involved in the management of cancer patients to offer optimal nutritional care.

Only a small proportion of cancer patients undergo radical radiotherapy to the head and neck, but their needs are particularly complex. Although extensive research describes the side-effects of radiotherapy to the head and neck, few studies focus on patients' subjective experiences of eating problems and the impact these have on the patients' daily life. In this study a phenomenological approach was used, as the purpose was to acquire deeper understanding of head and neck cancer patients' lived experiences of eating problems, their consequences in daily life and patients' strategies of coping with these problems. Eight patients from two radiation therapy departments in mid-Sweden were interviewed in an open dialogue. Data analysis was based on Colaizzi's method. Eating problems experienced were captured in two interrelated main themes: "Ability to chew and swallow" and "Will and desire to eat". The eating problems were found to cause a number of severe consequences in daily life. These are incorporated into one main theme: "The way of life is disturbed". Ways to cope with this disturbance were captured in one main theme: "Trying to see the end - To survive". This study identifies the need to view eating problems as a complex phenomenon in a specific context including the individual patient's life situation. The findings create the opportunity to develop nursing interventions based on patients' own needs. To facilitate this, a specialist nurse should be responsible for reviewing patients regularly throughout radiation therapy. Intervention studies are needed to provide optimal clinical guidelines.

BackgroundTo ensure patients and families receive appropriate end-of-life care pathways and guidelines aim to inform clinical decision making. Ensuring appropriate outcomes through the use of these decision aids is dependent on timely use. Diagnosing dying is a complex clinical decision, and most of the available practice checklists relate to cancer. There is a need to review evidence to establish diagnostic indicators that death is imminent on the basis of need rather than a cancer diagnosis.AimTo examine the evidence as to how patients are judged by clinicians as being in the final hours or days of life.DesignIntegrative literature review.Data sourcesFive electronic databases (2001–2011): Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) on The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. The search yielded a total of 576 hits, 331 titles and abstracts were screened, 42 papers were retrieved and reviewed and 23 articles were included.ResultsAnalysis reveals an overarching theme of uncertainty in diagnosing dying and two subthemes: (1) ‘characteristics of dying’ involve dying trajectories that incorporate physical, social, spiritual and psychological decline towards death; (2) ‘treatment orientation’ where decision making related to diagnosing dying may remain focused towards biomedical interventions rather than systematic planning for end-of-life care.ConclusionsThe findings of this review support the explicit recognition of ‘uncertainty in diagnosing dying’ and the need to work with and within this concept. Clinical decision making needs to allow for recovery where that potential exists, but equally there is the need to avoid futile interventions.

PurposePeptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has become an important treatment option in the management of advanced neuroendocrine tumours. Long-lasting responses are reported for a majority of treated patients, with good tolerability and a favourable impact on quality of life. The treatment is usually limited by the cumulative absorbed dose to the kidneys, where the radiopharmaceutical is reabsorbed and retained, or by evident haematological toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate how renal function affects (1) absorbed dose to the kidneys, and (2) the development of haematological toxicity during PRRT treatment.MethodsThe study included 51 patients with an advanced neuroendocrine tumour who received 177Lu-DOTATATE treatment during 2006 – 2011 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. An average activity of 7.5 GBq (3.5 – 8.2 GBq) was given at intervals of 6 – 8 weeks on one to five occasions. Patient baseline characteristics according to renal and bone marrow function, tumour burden and medical history including prior treatment were recorded. Renal and bone marrow function were then monitored during treatment. Renal dosimetry was performed according to the conjugate view method, and the residence time for the radiopharmaceutical in the whole body was calculated.ResultsA significant correlation between inferior renal function before treatment and higher received renal absorbed dose per administered activity was found (p < 0.01). Patients with inferior renal function also experienced a higher grade of haematological toxicity during treatment (p = 0.01). The residence time of 177Lu in the whole body (range 0.89 – 3.0 days) was correlated with grade of haematological toxicity (p = 0.04) but not with renal absorbed dose (p = 0.53).ConclusionPatients with inferior renal function were exposed to higher renal absorbed dose per administered activity and developed a higher grade of haematological toxicity during 177Lu-DOTATATE treatment. The study confirms the tolerability of PRRT in patients with an advanced neuroendocrine tumour but indicates that patients with inferior renal function are at risk of being exposed to higher absorbed doses to normal tissue on treatment.

The aim was to describe self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and to investigate the associations to stage of disease, age, gender, weight loss and performance status. Further, the study aimed to compare patients' HRQoL with that of the Swedish general population. Data on HRQoL were collected within a multi-centre randomised controlled trial. A total of 334 patients were included between 1998 and 2001. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Lung Cancer Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-LC13) were used to assess HRQoL. HRQoL data for comparison with the Swedish population were derived from a random sample of the Swedish population. Patients reported a markedly impaired HRQoL compared to the normal population. There were statistically and clinically significant differences with regard to almost all QLQ-C30 functional and symptom scales. Global health status, physical functioning, role functioning and emotional functioning were markedly deteriorated. The most prominent symptoms were dyspnoea, fatigue, coughing, insomnia, appetite loss and pain. A low performance status, younger age, female gender and a more advanced disease were independently associated with a worse HRQoL. Additional studies are required to gain increased insight into this seriously ill group of patients and their need of supportive care.

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Support to facilitate the situation of close relatives should be given from the health care. One way to organise the care could be through a nurse-led clinic, which provides continuous support, information and counseling.