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Nutritional Deficiencies and Nutritional Support Therapy in Geriatric Cancer Patients *
Author(s) -
CHING NATHANIEL,
GROSSI CARLO,
ZURAWINSKY HELEN,
JHAM GULAB,
ANGERS JOHN,
MILLS CHRISTOPHER,
NEALON THOMAS F.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1979.tb01735.x
Subject(s) - medicine , medical nutrition therapy , parenteral nutrition , malnutrition , enteral administration , cancer , radiation therapy , serum albumin , cancer therapy , intensive care medicine
Nutritional deficits and their correction were studied in 45 cancer patients (age range, 60–86 years) who were undergoing various modalities of cancer therapy. Their nutritional status was maintained with a variety of commercially available special diets, and serum albumin concentrations were sequentially determined in order to gauge the efficacy of the nutritional support. Serum albumin levels were preserved when nutritional support was employed in surgical therapy. However, patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy or radiotherapy responded only to adequate levels of the standard hospital diet with or without supplements of special enteral diets. In the survivors, albumin levels were maintained; in the nonsurvivors, albumin levels decreased. This group of older patients tolerated nutritional support therapy, especially when it was carefully monitored. Satisfactory nutritional therapy can be achieved by use of appropriate enteral formulas. The method lends itself to adequate management in the outpatient or nursing‐home situation during certain phases of cancer.