| An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. | | | | Dietetic Association's medical nutrition protocol. They |
| This maxim applies to people who receive radiation | | | | were then compared to their counterparts, who |
| therapy for cancers of the gastrointestinal tract as | | | | received standard care without a special diet. |
| well as the head and neck area. | | | | As it turned out, the nutritional intervention group |
| Unlike chemotherapy, which is distributed throughout | | | | members consumed significantly more calories and |
| the entire body, radiation therapy is a local | | | | protein than those of the standard group. Also, more |
| treatment, meaning that it affects only the area of | | | | people in the intervention group than in the standard |
| the body being treated. In people who are treated to | | | | group were well nourished and fewer were found to |
| the head and neck area, side effects include mouth | | | | be malnourished. In addition, the nutritional |
| sores and a sore throat. In those who undergo | | | | intervention group experienced a substantially smaller |
| radiation therapy to the gastrointestinal tract, side | | | | decrease in and faster recovery of quality of life and |
| effects can include nausea, diarrhea, and inflammation | | | | physical function. |
| of the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth | | | | Although the number of people in this study was |
| to the stomach. Consequently, these people can incur | | | | small, the lesson to be learned is to be sure a |
| difficulties in swallowing food and/or holding it down. | | | | registered dietician screens radiation therapy patients |
| This can lead to weight loss and malnutrition. | | | | with gastrointestinal and head and neck cancer, as |
| Undoubtedly, it is easier to attempt to minimize a | | | | well as other cancers. The dietician will evaluate the |
| decline in nutritional status than it is to try to reverse | | | | person's baseline nutritional status and will then |
| malnutrition. In fact, a recent study was conducted | | | | implement dietary intervention prior to the person's |
| to determine the effects of nutritional intervention in | | | | initiating radiation therapy. |
| such patients. | | | | This way, those who already are malnourished or at |
| Fifty-four people who received radiation therapy for | | | | high risk for becoming so will receive individualized |
| the aforementioned diagnoses were studied. A | | | | support from the dietician from the get go. Also, this |
| registered dietician assessed their dietary intake of | | | | care needs to continue throughout radiation therapy |
| protein, calories, and fiber at the outset of treatment | | | | and for at least one year after the completion of |
| and at four, eight, and twelve weeks thereafter. The | | | | treatment. The good news is that by being proactive |
| subjects who were part of the nutritional intervention | | | | with their diets, people who undergo radiation |
| group were counseled to follow the American | | | | therapy can favorably influence their quality of life. |