title: Nutritional needs of patients with malignancies of the head and neck.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide strategies to manage nutrition in patients with head and neck cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Empirical articles, reviews, books, and anecdotal evidence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Major nutrition issues include sore mouth/throat, difficulty swallowing, taste changes, dry mouth/thick saliva, constipation, nausea/vomiting, and decreased appetite.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses are one of the main providers for patients with head and neck cancer and may be the first to recognize a nutritional issue. The oncology dietitian and nurse work closely together to manage the nutritional care of the patient.
authors.affiliation: Hayes Lab, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center,University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 450 West Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295, USA. michele_hayward@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: Michele C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hayward
authors.forename: Aimee M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Shea
mesh_terms: D001066:Appetite; D003248:Constipation / Q000503:physiopathology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000503:physiopathology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D014839:Vomiting / Q000503:physiopathology