Nutrition during and after cancer therapy

Oncology (Williston Park). 2009 Feb;23(2 Suppl Nurse Ed):15-21.

Abstract

Diet and nutritional factors play a large role in influencing both the quality and quantity of life after the diagnosis of cancer. The oncology nurse is well-positioned to: 1) help ensure that nutritional needs are met for patients who are newly diagnosed, undergoing active treatment, or have advanced disease; 2) facilitate referral of patients with more intensive nutritional needs to registered dietitians; and 3) promote the importance of weight management and a healthful plant-based diet, low in saturated fat and simple sugars, and high in fruits and vegetables and unrefined whole grains, to patients likely to join the ranks of an ever-expanding population of cancer survivors--who now constitute roughly 4% of the US population and number more than 11 million.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Alcohol Drinking
  • Animals
  • Body Weight
  • Diet / standards
  • Edible Grain
  • Exercise
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Food Preservation
  • Fruit
  • Humans
  • Meat
  • Neoplasms / diet therapy*
  • Neoplasms / rehabilitation
  • Nutrition Assessment*
  • Sodium, Dietary
  • Survivors
  • Vegetables

Substances

  • Sodium, Dietary