Nutrition in cancer: an overview.
OBJECTIVE
To provide a review of weight loss, cachexia (both primary and secondary), and weight gain in cancer patients.


METHODS
Research reports, review articles, textbooks, and personal communications.


CONCLUSIONS
Alterations in nutritional status have the potential to affect mortality, morbidity, and quality of life outcomes. The detection and treatment of malnutrition is important to success of therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Nursing interventions to help maintain optimal nutritional status in patients with cancer include careful assessment, identification of patients at risk, and management of problems before the initiation of therapy.
Cunningham
R S
RS
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA.
Bell
R
R
D002100:Cachexia; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D015430:Weight Gain; D015431:Weight Loss