This article will summarize the current nutrition strategies in cancer patients. A review of relevant studies dealing with nutrition in cancer patients is presented. Basic recommendations for feeding patients with malignancy are suggested. Early nutrition evaluation, assessment, and support should be instituted in the appropriate clinical setting. Use of specialized nutrition support is not indicated in well-nourished cancer patients undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy in whom adequate oral intake is anticipated. Severely malnourished patients need early nutrition support preoperatively. Postoperative nutrition support has to be initiated in a timely fashion depending on the disease process. An algorithm for decisions regarding administration of specialized nutrition support is proposed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.