There are times in the treatment or hospitalization of a patient whose oral feeding is inadequate or even impossible due to the disease or simultaneous presence of many diseases in the same patient.

As a result, the needs of the body in calories, proteins and all the necessary nutrients are not met and there is a risk of non -completion of treatment. Consequently, the patient is led to submission.

“Particularly in cases where the body is ill, it is necessary to ensure that the patient nutrition, as the subconscious will lead to the weakening of the immune system and will eventually stand in the end of any treatment,” he said. Eumenes P. Karafyllidis BSC (Hons), MSc, NYSCDN Clinical Dietitian – Nutritionist Director of Dietetic Department Metropolitan General.

THE calorie and protein malnutrition caused by:

• insufficient food intake,
• or inadequate dietary planning,
• or inadequate absorption of the nutrients required to meet metabolic requirements.

This malnutrition weakens the immune system, weakens the body and reduces treatment tolerance. For these reasons, experts insist on the importance of taking protein and calories. As well as in taking vitamins and trace elements necessary.

When the cancer patient doesn’t eat, what do we do?

“If you are thinking of getting started taking nutritional supplements, or if you have already started using them, we can help you review it.

Nutritional supplements should be recommended and prescribed, when there is cancerous cachexia, decrease in muscle tissue, immune decline or patient’s food is insufficient.

The use of supplements must be defined and controlled by the clinical dietician after careful evaluation.

The aim is to meet the needs of his body, to improve the forces and to maintain his body weight. Normal oral feeding is the preferable way and should always be used if possible. It is necessary to note that the best nutritional support will come with the combination of normal food and supplements, because nutritional supplements should not replace natural foods, but supplement them when needed, ”he explains.

If the patient with cancer does not eat orally, how do we treat it?

“In cases where oral feeding is more difficult (eg due to reduced digestive tract functionality or reduced swallowing capacity, etc.) the nutritional support is limited by this path, because it is often not possible to cover all energy patient’s claims. For this reason, the patient will receive additional intestinal or peripheral parenteral or total parenteral feeding, which are methods of artificial nutrition, aiming to fully meet his needs. However, even as a complement to other methods, oral diet should be encouraged, if it is possible to take place and will not create a complication in the patient’s condition, “he says.

Intestinal diet in cancer patients:

The intestinal diet should always be preferred by parenteral, as possible, since it uses the digestive tract, that is, the normal digestive tract and has less complications than the parenteral diet. The intestinal nutrition paths are the nasal cavity (feeding through nasogastric, rhinododecaneal, nasal catheter), abdominal country (gastric catheter feed) and tower (feeding through fasting catheter).

Parenteral diet in cancer patients:

“It is recommended in cases of non -functional digestive tract (obstruction, ileum, etc.), in severe suspicion, in severe diarrhea and other situations that make the digestive tract impossible to use.

The purpose of using alternative feeding routes is to adequately nutritiously support the patient, maintain his or her strengths and ensure a better quality lifestyle, helping him naturally be resilient and to organize the respective therapies thereby reducing his time. . And in the intestinal and parenteral feeding can be administered special nutrition preparations, which will give the calories, proteins and other nutrients that the body needs in small or large tumors, depending on the tolerance or type of food, and without being The body is burdened by another, ”concludes Mr. Karafyllidis.

*It is worth noting that the cost of these methods is covered by the insurance funds, provided that some conditions are met.