Nutrition counseling recommended to reduce malnutrition in oncology patients

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

The referral of oncology patients for nutrition counseling is recommended given the strong evidence of its beneficial effects on the prevention and reduction of malnutrition, a new study published online ahead of print in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer has shown.

Because malnutrition is a very common problem among patients with cancer and is associated with various negative consequences including poorer prognosis, quality of life, and survival, researchers sought to review the effectiveness of different nutrition intervention approaches on nutrition status in oncology patients.

Researchers assessed the effects of nutrition counseling, oral nutrition supplements (ONS), and tube feeding (TF) on nutrition status by analyzing 11 randomized controlled trials that included a total of 1,077 patients.

Results showed that nutrition counseling with or without oral nutrition supplements was associated with consistent improvements in several nutrition status outcomes. On the other hand, oral nutrition supplements and tube feeding were associated with inconsistent improvements in limited aspects of nutrition status outcomes.

“Other forms of nutrition support including ONS and TF may then be included if deemed suitable and necessary for the individual,” the authors conclude.