Management of Nutrition: Hyperalimentation

Abstract

The anorexia-cachexia syndrome occurs with distressing regularity in many cancer patients, and the devastating impact of the resultant protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) has recently become evident. Tolerance of and response to specific therapy can be dramatically influenced by nutritional status. Recent developments in clinical nutrition have made nutritional support to reverse PCM possible for most cancer patients. Advances include new techniques such as total parenteral nutrition and infusion pumps, and new products such as commercial tube feeding formulas of varied composition, intravenous fat emulsions, and isotonic amino acid solutions. This chapter will briefly consider the etiology of PCM for cancer patients and its effects on their function, particulary immunocompetence, the assessment of nutritional status, recommended needs for protien and energy, techniques for nutritional support, and methods of monitoring therapeutic effectiveness.