Nutrition Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
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Supportive Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer: Nutrition Therapy
Optimal nutrition is essential for pancreatic cancer patients. Pancreatic cancer affects the body’s ability to digest and absorb vital nutrients from food. This can cause nausea, taste changes, weight loss, fatigue, decreased appetite, fullness, pain, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. Over time, these symptoms can put patients at risk for malnutrition.
CTCA offers a Nutrition Therapy program to help you stay strong and nourished so your pancreatic cancer treatment is not delayed or interrupted. Maintaining optimal nutrition can also help support immune function, rebuild body tissue, decrease your risk of infection, and enhance your overall well-being.
Your Individualized Nutrition Plan
As a pancreatic cancer patient at CTCA, you'll meet with a nutrition and metabolic support team, including a GI physician and a dietitian. You'll receive a comprehensive nutrition assessment to monitor and evaluate your nutrition status and identify if you are at risk for malnutrition.
Your nutrition team will then work with you to develop an individualized nutrition plan designed to prevent malnutrition, keep you nourished, and improve your quality of life. Throughout your pancreatic cancer treatment, we'll proactively and continually monitor your nutrition status, making modifications to your nutrition plan as needed.
If you experience pain when you eat, your nutrition team may provide pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy to assist with proper digestion. If you are unable to eat or digest food, wemay offer supplemental or individualized TPN nutritional support.
Diabetes Management
Pancreatic cancer patients are also at risk for diabetes and glucose intolerance. To decrease complications of diabetes, your nutrition team will assist you in managing blood sugar levels throughout your care.
Furthermore, you will also receive nutrition education to better understand how to manage symptoms and maintain a balanced diet. Programs and classes on nutrition and cancer, in conjunction with cooking demonstrations, are presented regularly at CTCA. Books, articles and other publications on cancer and nutrition are also available.
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