Assessing the nutritional needs of men with prostate cancer

Abstract

BackgroundNutrition is important for prostate cancer (PC) survivorship care to help achieve a healthy weight, reduce treatment side effects and reduce the risk of developing other chronic diseases. We aimed to advance the understanding of the nutritional needs of men with PC and services that could be potentially implemented to address them.MethodsWe conducted a needs assessment of nutrition services for men with PC drawing on four perspectives; 1) patient evaluation of a nutrition education session in British Columbia (BC), 2) survey of BC health professionals, 3) an environmental scan of existing nutrition services across Canada and 4) a scoping literature review.ResultsPatients expressed a need for more nutrition information and a desire for additional nutrition services. More than 60% of health professionals believed there is a need for more nutrition services for men with PC, and reported the focus should be on weight management or management of PC progression. The environmental scan revealed few existing services for men with PC across Canada, most were inclusive of multiple cancers and not tailored for men with PC. Eighteen completed studies were identified in the scoping literature review. The majority provided combined diet and exercise programs with various formats of delivery such as individual, group and home-based. Overall, 78% of studies reported improvements in one or more of the following measures: dietary intake/ diet quality, body composition, self-efficacy, quality of life, fatigue, practicing health behavior goals and physical function/ exercise. Four studies assessed feasibility, adherence or satisfaction with all reporting positive findings.ConclusionDespite the high prevalence of PC in Canada, and the perceived need for more support by patients and health professionals, there are limited nutrition services for men with PC. Evidence from the literature suggests nutrition services are effective and well-accepted by men with PC. Our findings define a need for standardized nutrition services for men with PC that assess and meet long term nutritional needs. Our findings also provide insight into the type and delivery of nutrition services that may help close the gap in care for men with PC.

Nutritional Status and Health-Related Quality of Life in Men with Advanced Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

“…Importantly, men with advanced prostate cancer should have access to the nutritional evaluation and support early in the course of their disease to decrease the risk of complications related to malnutrition in later stages of their disease (i.e., mCRPC), when they usually receive more toxic treatments. Unfortunately, access to the nutrition services which would meet long-term needs in prostate cancer patients may be limited worldwide (44).…”

Barriers and Facilitators to Supportive Care Implementation in Advanced Disease Prostate Cancer Survivors

“…Figure 2 displays the supportive care interventions implemented across the 13 studies, categorized according to the SCFCC domains of needs. Six interventions addressed the SCFCC informational domain 25,29–32,35 . Prostate cancer survivors were informed or educated about various topics including nutrition, adverse effects of the treatments, psychological management, and available resources.…”

“…Prostate cancer survivors were informed or educated about various topics including nutrition, adverse effects of the treatments, psychological management, and available resources. Five interventions addressed the physical domain through the implementation of an exercise program, a pelvic muscle rehabilitation intervention, yoga training, or by applying principles of a healthy diet 9,27,28,30,34 . Three interventions addressed the emotional domain using mindfulness, psychosexual therapy, and yoga 26,34,35 .…”

Prostate Cancer Prehabilitation and the Importance of Multimodal Interventions for Person-centred Care and Recovery

“…Nutrition has an important role in the prevention, management and survivorship of men with prostate cancer. The association between western diets and prostate cancer has been well documented, and includes certain nutrients such as fats, protein, carbohydrates and vitamins that have been attributed to prostate cancer disease progression at varying levels of evidence [32][33][34] . Current studies indicate a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, whilst replacing carbohydrates with whole grains and replacing red meat with fish is ideal for maintaining an appropriate body mass index in men with prostate cancer 32,33 .…”

“…Diet modification has been proven to reduce the bowel side effects of prostate cancer treatment, maintain appropriate body mass index and improve quality of life in some men 34 . Diet and nutritional advice is an important aspect of prehabilitation and post rehabilitation care in men with prostate cancer however, the importance of nutrition is often overlooked by health professionals 34 .…”