Oncology Nutrition & Cancer Care

A cancer diagnosis reshapes nearly every aspect of a patient's life, and nutrition is among the most affected — yet also among the most overlooked. Oncology Nutrition & Cancer Care addresses the vital role that dietary support plays throughout the cancer journey, from prevention and active treatment to recovery and survivorship. Far from a secondary concern, good nutritional care can influence how well patients tolerate treatment, how effectively they recover, and how they experience quality of life during one of medicine's most demanding ordeals.

Cancer and its treatments place extraordinary stress on the body's nutritional systems. The disease itself can drive metabolic changes and cancer cachexia, the severe wasting that erodes strength and resilience. Treatments compound the challenge: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery frequently bring nausea, appetite loss, altered taste, swallowing difficulties, and impaired absorption. The session examines how oncology dietitians assess and manage these obstacles — maintaining weight and muscle, meeting elevated nutrient needs, and adapting support to each phase of treatment. It also navigates the difficult terrain of nutrition myths and unproven "anti-cancer" diets that patients so often encounter.

Equally important is the evidence on diet and cancer prevention, and the growing focus on nutrition for the expanding population of survivors. Oncologists, oncology dietitians, nurses, palliative care specialists, and researchers will find this session deeply relevant, as will those advancing cancer nutrition across the care continuum. For attendees of the Nutrition Conference, it underscores a compassionate and evidence-based truth: that thoughtful nutritional care is an essential part of cancer treatment, supporting patients not only to endure therapy but to live as fully as possible through and beyond it.