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“What Should I Eat?”—Addressing Questions and Challenges Related to Nutrition in the Integrative Oncology Setting

  • Integrative Care (M Frenkel, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review aims to assess how nutrition can be addressed in the integrative oncology setting, taking into account cancer patients’ unmet needs as they relate to nutrition in cancer care and the evidence-based information that is available on this topic.

Recent Findings

During and after cancer treatment, nutrition is an important component of supportive care, for patients and their family members. Current scientific data consistently show that poor nutrition can reduce survival and decrease adherence to cancer treatments. Unfortunately, the limited availability of dietitians makes access to individualized nutrition counseling challenging, and many cancer patients still do not receive adequate nutritional support. As a result, one of the main unmet needs of patients and their families through the whole cancer trajectory is accessible and up-to-date evidence-based nutritional counseling that emphasizes basic healthy nutrition. The popularity of complementary and integrative medicine among patients with cancer makes the integrative oncology setting an excellent avenue for providing such support. A suggested simple approach that utilizes World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research and American Cancer Society basic information is described. This approach can be easily incorporated into integrative oncology settings, while reserving the role for the registered dietician to address underweight patients, patients with malnutrition, and patients with more complicated dietary situations.

Summary

The integrative oncology setting is in a unique place in oncology that can be utilized for enhancing dissemination of healthy nutrition information and addressing the unmet needs expressed by patients and families.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Ms. Sunita C. Patterson from MD Anderson’s Research Medical Library for her editorial review of the article and helpful comments that increased the quality of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA

    Moshe Frenkel & Victor S. Sierpina

  2. Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Division of Oncology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel

    Moshe Frenkel

  3. Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Kenneth J. Sapire

  4. Supportive Care and Integrative Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, NSW, Australia

    Judith Lacey

  5. The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Judith Lacey

  6. NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia

    Judith Lacey

  7. Penny Brohn UK, Bristol, UK

    Catherine Zollman

  8. Personalized Care and Support, Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire (SWAG) NHS Cancer Alliance, Bristol, UK

    Catherine Zollman

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  1. Moshe Frenkel
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Correspondence to Moshe Frenkel.

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Frenkel, M., Sapire, K.J., Lacey, J. et al. “What Should I Eat?”—Addressing Questions and Challenges Related to Nutrition in the Integrative Oncology Setting. Curr Oncol Rep 24, 1557–1567 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-022-01308-x

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