Nutrition in children and adolescents with cancer

Cancer is the most common cause of disease-related death in children and adolescents in the United States, and it is becoming a proportionately more common cause of death among young people in developing countries as well. However, cancer is highly curable in young people. In high income countries, the survival rate of children and adolescents with cancer is 80% or higher. However, more than 80% of children live in low and middle income countries where the survival rate may be as low as 5%. Nutrition plays an important role in many aspects of cancer development, treatment and long term survival. Nutritional status at diagnosis has prognostic implications. Well-nourished children have a better tolerance of intensive cancer therapy, improved chances of survival, and lower relapse rates. Children and adolescents with cancer are at higher risk for the development of malnutrition than adults during treatment due to the relatively higher nutritional needs demanded by their continuous growth and organ development. Nutritional assessment is important for the prevention, recognition, and early treatment of malnutrition. Proper assessment of the nutritional status of a patient is necessary for the determination of appropriate nutritional therapy. The goals of nutritional therapy for patients undergoing anticancer treatment are to maintain weight and to achieve age-appropriate growth and weight gain after treatment. These goals can be achieved by dietary modifications, use of dietary supplements, appetite stimulants, or nutritional support. Patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can experience any or all of the following side effects: nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, constipation, diarrhea, altered taste, loss of appetite. Any of these side effects could result in undesirable weight loss, protein energy malnutrition or cancer cachexia. Food poisoning can occur if a person eats or drinks something that contains harmful germs. Food consumed by immunocompromised patients should be prepared in a manner to minimize bacterial growth. Survivors of cancer in childhood and adolescence are at risk for many long-term adverse effects of therapy. Lifestyle changes, including dietary modification, may help with the management of some of those sequelae. The three nutrition-related key areas to reduce cancer risk are weight, diet, and physical activity. There are numerous gaps in our knowledge concerning the interaction of nutrition with cancer in children and adolescents. These include the effects of nutritional interventions on cancer outcomes and the influence of such interventions on co-morbidities; all providing rich opportunities for good clinical research. © 2013 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.