Nutritional support for tumors

Mo Liqin 310002 Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Zhejiang Province

Clinically, tumor patients or family members often ask whether tumor cells will be "raised"
after the nutrition is too good.
This is an incorrect view
.
Numerous clinical data and related studies have proved that timely and correct nutritional support not only does not promote tumor growth, but can significantly improve the life treatment of tumor patients and prolong the survival time
.
This article provides an introduction and analysis
of nutritional support for cancer patients.

Tumors are now the second leading cause of
death worldwide.
The number of oncology patients continues to increase
each year.
Malnutrition is a common problem in cancer patients, especially in patients with tumors such as esophageal, gastric, pancreatic cancer, etc.

Malnutrition is even more common in patients with advanced
tumors.
Many cancer patients seek medical treatment for the first time because they have lost weight and have developed malnutrition
.
On the one hand, malnutrition is caused by tumor cell consumption, and on the other hand, it is caused by gastrointestinal disorders, nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite, oral mucositis affecting eating during anti-tumor treatment, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery
.
After malnutrition, the pull-up status deteriorates, immunity decreases, and the quality of life is severely reduced, which makes it difficult to withstand chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery, which affects the survival time
of patients.
Up to 10-20% of real-life deaths in cancer patients are due to malnutrition, not the tumor itself
.
Timely correction of malnutrition and comprehensive and scientific nutritional support can significantly improve the physical status of patients, better tolerate anti-tumor treatment, achieve good treatment results, and obtain a higher quality of life
.
Therefore, nutritional support is crucial in patients with
tumors.

So how do we provide nutritional support? The first step is to detect whether tumor patients have nutritional problems
at an early stage.
It is recommended that from the beginning of the diagnosis of the tumor, it is necessary to regularly pay attention to the patient's nutritional intake and weight changes
.
When it is found that the patient has eaten less than before and lost weight significantly, timely nutritional support
should be provided.
For patients who can eat normally, daily home-cooked meals are an important source of
nutrition.
It is recommended to enrich the types of food, avoid partial food, focus on fresh food, and avoid pickled foods
.
Adjust your diet and increase your intake
of high-quality protein.
Patients and their families often struggle with whether eggs, sea cucumbers and other hair can not be eaten, but in fact, these are precisely high-quality proteins, its amino acid structure and content are similar to the human body, easy to digest and absorb, can quickly replenish the protein
lost by patients.
Avoid simplification of staple foods, you can choose a variety of grains, such as oats, sweet potatoes, etc.
, rich in various active substances, with anti-cancer effects
.
Eat more fresh vegetables, such as asparagus, which is rich in selenium and plant fiber, and asparagine contained in it is also a recognized anti-cancer substance; Cauliflower is rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper, manganese and other minerals, as well as a variety of indole derivatives, improve the body's immunity, and contain dithiol thione can neutralize poisons and promote excretion
.
In addition, carrots, cabbage, fungi, corn, kelp, etc.
are all good choices
.
For patients undergoing chemotherapy, eating antioxidant nutrients can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, such as foods rich in vitamin C and E, such as grapes, kiwi fruits and legumes
.
For patients who have experienced loss of appetite, they should choose to talk about digestion in terms of diet, choose more steamed, stewed, and boiled foods, do not choose greasy foods, and eat less and frequent meals
.
For patients with diarrhea with intestinal dysfunction, should eat less residue, low fiber food, avoid eating raw cold and gas-producing foods, should not drink coffee, strong tea and wine, should eat foods with higher potassium content, bananas, oranges, etc
.
If the amount of food consumed is difficult to meet the patient's basic daily energy intake, medical enteral or parenteral nutritional support
can be selected.

In summary, the nutritional requirements of tumor patients are high, and they should be balanced and diversified at ordinary times, and appropriate nutritional support
should be selected according to different situations.