Cancer treatment side effect: Malnutrition

Getting enough calories and protein helps patients stay strong and fight cancer as well as other infections.

But studies show that up to 85% of cancer patients suffer from malnutrition at some point during their cancer treatment. This commoncancer treatment side effectoccurs when the body doesn’t get or can’t absorb the nutrients it needs. And it’s more common in patients with胰腺癌,肺癌and upper gastrointestinal tract cancer.

营养不良是很难治疗，所以要早期发现是非常重要的。好消息是，有些事情在治疗期间的癌症患者可以做些什么来解决营养不良。我们采访了尔玛利维，一个营养师MD Anderson, about what patients should know about malnutrition.

Here’s what she had to say.

Why do some cancer patients suffer from weight loss or malnutrition?

In most cases, weight loss and malnutrition result fromappetite loss，这是癌症治疗的常见副作用。你的医生或营养师可以将此称为厌食症。虽然这不是大多数人通常是怎么想的厌食，术语仅仅指的是食欲不振。癌症患者可能出现食欲不振的任何原因。癌症和癌症治疗可能会影响食物的味道和气味，这样可能会影响一个人的吃的欲望。

有些患者还可能经受nausea。In some cases, the cancer itself may make it painful for patients to eat or swallow food. Other patients may be able to eat, but their cancer may prevent them from properly digesting their food or absorbing the nutrients.

What malnutrition symptoms should patients watch for?

营养不良症状和体征包括：

• 跌逾1到2磅一周
• 恶病质，食欲不振，体重减轻，肌肉损失和全身无力标记的条件
• A身体质量指数，或BMI，below 18.5
• A decrease in activity or energy

应该营养不良患者吃什么类型的食物？

患者应该吃什么，他们可以。把注意力放在食物，不但热量高，而且在营养成分高。坚果黄油，鳄梨和干果都是不错的选择。高热量奶昔或蛋白饮料是另一种很好的方法治疗癌症过程中，让您的营养素。

有些患者可能会发现很容易在一天吃几个小餐，而不是三个较大的饭菜。

在某些情况下，你的医生可能会建议饲管得到你所需要的营养。

What resources are available for patients suffering from malnutrition?

研究表明是一个跨学科的方法来治疗营养不良对患者的最佳效果。有心理学家和疲劳专家咨询也可以帮助患者应对营养不良。

So, if you or a patient you care for is suffering from malnutrition, talk to your doctor about seeking help from adietitian。如果你是一个MD Anderson患者，请联系您的诊所对任何与这些专家的来访或通过安排预约myMDAnderson。

在申请预约MD Anderson线上or by calling 1-877-632-6789.