The effect of nutritional support on nutritional status, quality of life and survival in cancer patients receiving systemic anticancer therapy: a literature review.

Abstract

Rationale. Malnutrition is a common problem among cancer patients, due to the direct influence of the tumor and the consequences of specific therapy, negatively affects the quality of life and worsens the results of anticancer treatment. Nutritional support (NS) plays an important role in systemic drug anticancer therapy, however, malnutrition that develops against the background of malignant neoplasms (MN) remains underestimated and receives little attention in clinical practice. Purpose: to assess the need for and safety of NS against the background of systemic drug antitumor treatment of malignant neoplasms. Materials and methods: an analysis of publications in the medical databases e-Library, PubMed, Medline was performed with an emphasis on assessing the safety and efficacy of NP against the background of systemic drug antitumor treatment. Results: based on the data obtained, it was shown that patients with cancer have an anorexia-cachexia syndrome, leading to the development of sarcopenia, which negatively affects the results of specific therapy. Timely appointment of NS significantly improves the results of treatment, quality of life, and also increases the survival rate in patients receiving non-surgical anticancer therapy. Conclusions: Nutritional support, carried out in parallel with anticancer drug treatment, improves its results.