Discussion Topic: Nutritional Side Effects of Cancer Treatments

The Assignment for Unit 6 involves an extremely ill person who has been having very serious side effects of advanced stage HIV. He has suffered significant weight loss as result of gastrointestinal infections and intolerance. Let's imagine that you are working at a hospice community outreach center as a clinical nutrition aide and the supervising RD asks you to prepare a preliminary nutrition assessment on a stage 4 colon cancer patient. The patient has experienced severe weight loss (more than 20% weight loss) and is suffering from N/V/D (nausea/vomiting/diarrhea) due to the extensive chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection of part of his colon. The nursing notes reveal that the patient is unable to tolerate his meals (bland/soft diet) and is having a hard time even keeping clear liquids down when taking his medication. Why does extensive chemotherapy, radiation and colon resection sometimes lead to such serious negative nutritional outcomes?

What nutrition therapy options are available to patients with these types of nutrition complications? Which nutrition therapy method would you suggest and why? Are there other considerations that need to be made before making the nutrition therapy recommendation to the supervising dietitian and Physician? (ethical, family wishes, prognosis etc.).