Vol. 11, Special Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Simranjeet Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Kartik Sharma, Vishesh Bhadariya, Jyoti Singh

Abstract:
Cancer is considered to be one of the most debilitating and incurable diseases in human history. Over the last few decades, significant improvements in cancer treatment techniques have been made and chemotherapeutic therapy (chemotherapy) remains the predominant method of cancer treatment. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment, that is destructive to tumor cells and tissues. Chemotherapeutic medicines may be divided into several categories viz. antimetabolites, alkylating agents, mitotic spindle inhibitors, topoisomerase inhibitors, and others. The development of anti-cancer therapies focuses on the selective and effective targeting of carcinogenic cells. As a part of this treatment, individuals with cancer are supplied with enteral nourishment. The enteral formulas or oral nutrition supplement (ONS) helps to enhance nutritional status by increasing the muscle mass and protecting body composition in patients suffering from pancreatic and bile duct cancer receiving first cycle of chemotherapy. This diet plays crucial role in cancer as it includes vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and naturally occurring phytochemicals, thus protecting the body from various carcinogens. Nutritional counselling and ONS should be utilised to enhance food intake to prevent malnutrition in cancer patients. This review aims to update and extend the scope of evidence-based treatment guidelines for dietary management of chemotherapy patients.