ABSTRACT
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Patients with cancer are frequently malnourished because of direct or indirect effects of tumor, surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, in addition to psychological factors. Malnutrition reduces quality of life, decreases performance status, and increases morbidity and mortality. Malnutrition adversely affects tissue function and repair and humoral and cellular immunity. It is not surprising that a significant proportion of patients with cancer end up being critically ill because of these factors (1). Malnutrition experienced by patients with cancer can be related to the patient’s nutritional status before the development of cancer, the tumor itself, and cancer therapy. Aggressive treatment may increase the degree of malnutrition. The combination of the effects of therapy along with progressive malnutrition may be a frequent cause of death (2).
