Nutritional Problems in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Abstract

Head and neck tumors are the fifth most common type of cancer and at the same time the fifth most common cause of death associated with cancer in the world. The location of a tumor in the head and neck have a negative effect on the willingness and the ability to intake food. Frequently observed, malnutrition results in an unfavorable impact on the course of cancer and reduces the effectiveness of the therapy. Nutritional status disorders result in prolonged hospitalization, increased costs of treatment, worsening of the prognosis and reduced quality of life of patients. In addition to cancer treatment, it is necessary to assess the nutritional status of the patient, as well as the risk of malnutrition. In order to increase the tolerance of the patient to treatment, reduce the incidence of complications and duration of hospital stay, it is always advisable to consider nutritional therapy parallel to cancer treatment. Dietary intervention, which consists of dietary counseling, the use of oral industrial diets, enteral or parenteral nutrition, should always be adapted to the clinical situation. For these reasons, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) have, for several years now, appointed teams of experts entrusted with the development of guidelines on the most important aspects of nutritional therapy. In Poland, despite many efforts of the Polish Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, awareness of the importance of nutritional status and nutrition in the treatment of patients is still minimal.