Progress on standardized nutrition therapy for head and neck cancer during the peri-radiotherapeutic period / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Malnutrition is a common complication of cancer patients, and solving nutrition problems is still one of the challenging tasks in clinical practice. The incidence of malnutrition in head and neck cancer patients during the peri-radiotherapeutic period is high, which is not only related to disease-mediated metabolic disorders, complications and psychological factors, but also associated with the toxic and side effects induced by radiotherapy. Malnutrition will reduce the tolerance, accuracy, and therapeutic effects of radiotherapy, which in turn lowers the quality of life and even adversely affects the prognosis of disease. Medical nutrition therapy can improve the nutritional status of the body, ensure smooth progress of radiotherapy, and improve the efficacy of comprehensive cancer treatment. It is necessary and urgent to deliver standardized nutrition therapy and management of head and neck cancer patients during the peri-radiotherapeutic period. Nutritional risk screening, nutritional assessment, and acute radiation injury assessment are required to develop an individualized nutrition treatment plan and make dynamic adjustment. In this article, relevant literature of nutrition therapy for head and neck radiotherapy at home and abroad was summarized, and the standardized nutrition therapy for head and neck cancer patients during the peri-radiotherapeutic period was reviewed.