Nutritional challenges and solutions for individuals living with cancer Malnutrition is prevalent in people with cancer, and has detrimental effects on quality of life, treatment tolerance, and survival. This conference session addresses the complex challenges of malnutrition in oncology patients and emphasizes the need for individualized and multimodal approaches. First, the attendees will learn about the multifaceted nature of cancer cachexia, and the involvement of a variety of organs and physiological systems as drivers of cachexia. While current models acknowledge the multiple contributing factors, a key challenge to treating cachexia has been identifying the dominant driving mechanisms in each patient to tailor interventions effectively. Individualized treatment may be made possible through the advancement of biomarkers to enable targeting of drug and nutritional therapies in the future. The second speaker emphasizes the importance of managing nutrition impact symptoms (NIS), which arise from tumors, treatments, and psychosocial factors, to prevent weight loss and muscle wasting. Through a real-life example, practical approaches to managing complex symptoms and addressing challenges of enteral feeding in oncology will be discussed. You will leave this session with new knowledge and appreciation of the multifactorial contributors to malnutrition in people with cancer but also empowered to address these challenges to enhance care in the future.
I am pleased to chair this session which aligns with my passion for defining better nutritional interventions for those at risk of malnutrition. My current research program focuses on how changes in metabolism impact on nutritional requirements in diseases characterized by inflammation with a primary focus on cancer and its treatment. The emphasis in my program is on lipid nutrition and metabolism, and I am particularly interested in how providing essential dietary nutrients can treat pathology related to disease and improve care for patients. My translational research program spans from experimental models of disease (cell culture and animal models) to conducting human clinical trials. I have developed and currently instruct an advanced course that explores the complex contributions of the tumor and the treatments for cancer as drivers of malnutrition in people with cancer, and evidence-based therapeutic strategies to better support patients throughout their cancer journey.