Most studies confirm the beneficial effects of enteral nutrition on the quality of life, but some studies indicate an inverse association and its detrimental impacts. However, there are insufficient data on the effects of enteral nutrition on the quality of life of cancer patients. This systematic review aimed to describe the influence of applied enteral nutrition on the quality of life of cancer patients, based on the results of randomized controlled trials. It was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021261226) and conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines. The searching procedure was conducted using the PubMed and Web of Science databases, as well as Cochrane Library, and it included studies published until June 2021. It was conducted to select randomized controlled trials assessing the influence of enteral nutrition (compared with the other model of nutrition) on the quality of life of cancer patients. A general number of 761 records were screened and a final number of 16 studies were included in the systematic review. The studies were included and assessed by two independent researchers, while the risk of bias was analyzed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Studies compared patients treated with and without enteral nutrition, patients treated with various methods of enteral nutrition or with enteral diets of various content, as well as patients treated with enteral and parenteral nutrition. Within the included studies, the majority were conducted in patients with cancers located in various parts of the body, or diverse areas within the gastrointestinal system, while some studies were conducted in specific populations of patients with a defined cancer location—esophagus, stomach, or ovary. The duration of applied enteral nutrition within the included studies was diversified—from two weeks or less to half a year or even more. The vast majority of studies used well-known and validated tools to assess the quality of life, either developed for a specific group of head/neck, esophagus/stomach, and ovary cancer patients or developed for more general patient populations. Most studies concerning patients treated with and without enteral nutrition supported applying enteral nutrition, which was concluded in seven studies out of ten (including four studies with a low risk of bias). The other important observations to be emphasized—formulated based on the studies with a low risk of bias—presented the role of oral supportive nutrition guided by a dietitian, as well as the beneficial role of enteral and parenteral nutrition, combined. In spite of a relatively low number of randomized controlled trials assessing the influence of enteral nutrition on the quality of life of cancer patients, which should be considered as a limitation, the results were promising. Most studies supported the positive influence of enteral nutrition on the quality of life, either assessed based on the psychological measures of the quality of life or by considering the other potential determinants (e.g., malnutrition, complications, etc.). Taking this into account, enteral nutrition should be applied whenever possible, both to prevent and treat malnutrition in cancer patients. However, considering the limited number of studies conducted so far, further research conducted in homogenic populations of patients is necessary.

Malnutrition is a poor prognostic factor in cancer disease. In case of head and neck cancer, there are multiple disease symptoms and side effects of treatment that increase the risk of malnutrition. The aim of the study is to assess the association between nutritional status at the time of qualification for home enteral nutrition (HEN) and overall survival of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), and assessment usefulness of selected nutritional indices as prognostic factors. The retrospective survival analysis involved 157 patients with HNC referred to HEN between January 2018 and October 2021. The nutritional status assessment was performed at the qualification for HEN visit. We have analyzed results of body mass index (BMI), Nutritional Risk Index (NRI) for patients <65 years, Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) for patients ≥65 years and malnutrition defined by Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM). The mean patient survival was 44.7 weeks and the median was 23.9 weeks. Patients with low NRI and GNRI score had a higher risk of death (NRI: p = 0.0229; GNRI: p = 0.371). NRI, GNRI, and malnutrition defined by GLIM were superior to BMI as prognostic markers for survival. Results suggest that the use of NRI, GNRI, and GLIM criteria could provide useful prognostic information. The longer survival since the qualifying visit for home enteral nutrition suggests that nutritional management could be initiated earlier.

Sarcopenia in the elderly population is a public health challenge, and there are few data on its prevalence in Europe. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of sarcopenia in the elderly Polish population and its association with the level of obesity and co-existing diseases. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study involving 823 men and 1177 women aged 65 years and older, randomly selected from the population living in the territory of the Republic of Poland between 2017 and 2020. We analyzed the results of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Risk of sarcopenia was assessed with the simple questionnaire to rapidly diagnose sarcopenia (SARC-F), and sarcopenic obesity risk was defined as the combination of anthropometry and SARC-F results. In addition, we collected disease data with an author questionnaire. The prevalence of risk of sarcopenia was 18.6% (22.3% in women and 13.2% in men), and its incidence significantly increased with age in both sexes. The risk of sarcopenic obesity was more common in women than in men, and it was higher in the older age group, except for sarcopenic obesity diagnosed by the WHR criteria. The group of elderly with concomitant diseases had a higher risk of developing sarcopenia, which emphasizes the need to monitor sarcopenia when concomitant diseases are diagnosed. In both groups, risk of sarcopenia was associated with motor and respiratory system diseases, type 2 diabetes, and neurological diseases. This study highlights that the risk of sarcopenia in the elderly population affects women to a greater extent than men. It is important to identify the elderly at risk of sarcopenia in routine clinical practice to develop long-term prevention strategies.

Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) present multiple symptoms that increase the risk of malnutrition. Nutritional care, including enteral nutrition (EN), plays a crucial role in the management of this group of patients. The aim of the study was to determine the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM)-based stages of malnutrition and the relationship with selected biochemical parameters during the home enteral nutrition (HEN) qualification visit of patients with HNC. The retrospective analysis involved 224 patients with HNC referred for HEN. The following parameters were evaluated: body mass index (BMI), percent weight loss, and laboratory tests (serum albumin, total serum protein, C-reactive protein (CRP), and total lymphocyte count (TLC)). Malnutrition was defined using GLIM-based criteria. The prevalence of malnutrition based on GLIM criteria was 93.75% (15.18% moderately malnourished, 78.57% severely malnourished). There was a positive correlation between malnutrition based on GLIM criteria, serum albumin, and CRP. In the model assessing the odds of severe malnutrition according to the criteria of GLIM, TLC and CRP had a statistically significant effect on the chance in the probability of qualifying a patient to the severe malnutrition group, but the strength of the results was weak. The prevalence of malnutrition in HNC patients enrolled to HEN is high and most of them are severely malnourished. This suggests that it is important to identify more efficiently patients with risk of malnutrition at an earlier stage. GLIM criteria for malnutrition can be easily applied in this group of patients, but the definition of inflammation criteria should be clarified.

Dysphagia is an interdisciplinary problem. Doctors of different specialties (phoniatrician, ENT, gastrologist, neurologist), speech language therapists, physiotherapists and dieticians should be involved in the therapy of patients. The task of the first group is instrumental evaluation of swallowing, defining the safe consistency of fluids and foods, showing effective therapeutic maneuvers (restitutive and compensatory maneuvers), and finally - adapting the optimal diet to patient's eating ability (adaptive methods). The purpose of the study is to present a modification of the consistency of fluids and foods according to the recommendations of the International Dietary Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). The work shows the basic consistencies and tests that allow for them to be checked.

The occurrence of dysphagia and malnutrition in patients with head and neck cancers is associated with sequelae that negatively affect the treatment process and its effectiveness. Therefore, it is important to perform screening of dysphagia and malnutrition in this group of patients. Screening tests should be quick to perform, easy to use, and cost-effective. The methods used should be validated on the target group of patients. For patients with head and neck tumours, such validation is provided by four dysphagia screening questionnaires and nine malnutrition screening questionnaires.