November 2006

Nutrition support lacking for most cancer patients

Only 30 percent of cancer patients are offered nutrition guidance, according to an online poll conducted on CancerCompass.com, an online cancer community.

More than 600 cancer patients responded to the poll that asked them, “While undergoing cancer treatment, which of the following complementary therapies did your treating facility offer?” Services included acupuncture, nutritional advice, naturopathic services, mind-body medicine, physical therapy, spiritual wellness, and family counseling.

Fifty-three percent of respondents were offered no complementary services at all.

“This poll indicates that one of the most valued, not to mention clinically important, options is not offered nearly frequently enough,” said Timothy Birdsall, ND, vice president of integrative medicine at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. “A solid nutrition program can help keep a cancer patient’s immune system strong, even in the face of a disease like cancer and treatments such as chemotherapy. One of the greatest weapons in fighting any disease is the body’s immune system. Cancer and the treatments we use to destroy tumors have the potential to have a devastating impact on the immune system. By the time most hospitals decide that malnutrition is a problem, it is often too late. But, if we intervene early, the results can be quite dramatic.”

Sources: Cancer Treatment Centers of America, www.cancercenter.com, CancerCompass, www.cancercompass.com

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