A GP guide to cancer and malnutrition
Both the disease and its treatments can contribute to malnutrition in patients with cancer. Here’s a guide to helping them maintain adequate nutrition.
Malnutrition remains a common issue for people with cancer.1
However, cancer malnutrition is often overlooked and undertreated by clinicians, patients and their families.
In Australia, the prevalence of malnutrition in patients with cancer ranges from 26% to 48%, with differences related to patient age, cancer type, stage and mode of treatment.1,2
Patients with cancer of the head and neck, gastrointestinal tract and lung are more likely to be malnourished than those with other tumour types.1
