Nutrition and the Cancer Patient

Nutrition appetite and involuntary weight loss are issues that affect a large number of cancer patients and cancer survivors. Aspects such as symptom management behavioural modification exercise and medication are all important aspects of cancer care but nutritional issues at the end of life can be accompanied by contentious ethical factors as well as religious and cultural influences that need to be addressed by health professionals. This book enables physicians nurses and also dieticians to better discuss these complex issues with patients and their families.This comprehensive reference book provides both background information and practical clinical advice for managing the cancer patient at all stages of their disease trajectory. It includes information that relates to patients who are continuing to receive disease-specific therapy the cancer survivor as well as patients with advanced or recurrent cancer receiving palliative care. Basic principles such as epidemiology and physiology set the scene leading into the cachexia/anorexia syndrome treatment options nutritional counselling enteral and parenteral nutrition complementary/alternative therapies exercise clinical outcomes measures in each of the clinical groups and focus on special populations and their specific needs. Multidimensional interdisciplinary clinical evaluation and treatment is emphasised and ethical religious and cultural factors are also addressed.Multidisciplinary in nature this book draws on the experience of the editors'' work across the fields of oncology palliative care surgery primary care nursing dietetics and nutritional science. It will prove invaluable to all general practitioners internists medical oncologists and surgeons nurses palliative care specialists and related professionals involved in the care of the cancer patient.