An observational study of the role of pain control and food adaptation of elderly patients with terminal cancer.
Anorexia and a distaste for food are common in patients with terminal cancer and often lead to the use of invasive therapeutic measures. In our prospective study involving 116 elderly patients with terminal cancer, we found that this nutritional behavior could be modified by making certain changes in the treatment. The most important of these are control of pain and distressing symptoms and nutritional adaptation to the condition and tastes of the patients. Ninety-two percent of the subjects could eat until the day they died. The eating pattern of these patients was found to be identical to that observed in elderly patients without cancer. Only 15 patients who had cancer (13%) refused food containing meat.
Feuz
A
A
Center for Bioethics, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Rapin
C H
CH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001066:Appetite; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D013727:Terminal Care