Nutrition in Cancer: The Practical Perspectives

Abstract

The syndrome of Cancer cachexia is characterised by an involuntary, sustained loss of weight and skeletal muscle mass, which negatively affects patients’ evolution and their quality of life, increasing the incidence of infection, hospital stay and mortality. The proportion of patients who present weight loss at diagnosis varies between 15 and 40% and may go up to 70 % depending on the type, stage of cancer and disease course. Patients with tumours of the gastrointestinal tract, head and neck, liver and lung cancers are at high risk for malnutrition (de las Peñas R), (Arends).