Nutrition in advanced disease and end of life cancer care

Nutrition in advanced disease and end of life cancer care
Seminars in Oncology Nursing; Betty Ferrell, Nathaniel Co, William E. Rosa; 12/24
Throughout the cancer continuum—starting at diagnosis and throughout disease-directed treatment, end-of-life care, and survivorship—nutrition screening, counseling, and intervention should be routinely considered integral to care. During cancer treatment, these nutritional components serve as adjuvants to therapy with significant benefits to body composition, quality of life, and survival with improved nutrition. The phases of advanced disease and also end of life care present unique challenges related to nutrition which is the focus of this paper. Providing nutrition is one of the most important aspects of care provided by families for patients with advanced disease with deep meaning in these relationships, especially at the end of life. Oncology nurses provide valuable guidance in these decisions and offer support to both patients and families to ensure quality of life across the trajectory of cancer.