Nutricia recognizes World Cancer Day 2022

World Cancer Day is marked on February 4th each year. Nutricia supports the aims and objectives of the initiative and helps raises awareness, particularly around the positive clinical impact medical nutrition can have on cancer patients, up to 65% of whom will be affected by malnutrition at some point during their disease1. This year we bring you the story of Jonathan, a cancer patient who benefitted from medical nutrition.

Watch Jonathan's full story here.

Jonathan's story

February 4th is World Cancer Day, an important day for Nutricia to recognize as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting cancer patients and those who care for them. Jonathan was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, not once but twice. This is the story of his journey, from diagnosis, through two rounds of grueling treatments and into recovery. Jonathan is now cancer free. Find out more about his experience, including the positive steps he took to keep his body as strong as it could be throughout, including the role of medical nutrition.

World Cancer Day 2022: ‘Close the Care Gap’

The theme for World Cancer Day 2022 is ‘Close the Care Gap’, which aims to highlight the inequalities that exist in access to cancer care, often based simply on where in the world a patient lives. When Jonathan was diagnosed with cancer, he lived in Amsterdam where he was fortunate enough to have access to world-leading care.

Not everyone will be so lucky in terms of access to advanced cancer care. The World Cancer Day initiative aims to increase recognition of this fact and drive governments and communities to take action.

Close the care gap

Malnutrition affects up to 65% of cancer patients1

Cancer is a term used to describe a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread any part of the body. A cancer diagnosis can be⠯a life-changing event for both the patient and their loved ones. 

Advances in medicine and technology mean more people than ever are living longer following a cancer diagnosis. However, both malnutrition and cachexia (loss of muscle tissue), are still negatively impacting treatment outcomes2-13.

  • Poorer response to cancer treatment
  • Increased risk of infections
  • Increased risk of post-operative complications

Malnutrition and cachexia affect around 65% of cancer patients1 and can be caused by a number of factors relating to both the disease (e.g. hypermetabolism14) and its treatment (e.g. nausea and taste changes14).

Medical nutrition is clinically proven to help cancer patients improve their nutritional status, which can lead to more positive treatment outcomes[15]

As Nutricia, we believe that more people could benefit from nutritional support during their cancer journey, from diagnosis through to treatment and beyond. That’s why today, we want to raise awareness on the importance of nutrition in cancer care to improve patient outcomes.

Helping cancer patients stay strong for the road ahead

It may be the last thing on many patients’ minds, but nutrition is an essential part of cancer care, an important element that could help support better outcomes. For more information on how to make sure the body is getting enough of the right nutrition, as well as how to talk to a healthcare professional about your nutritional concerns, visit our dedicated information hub for patients.

Find out more

An introduction to cancer and weight loss

Cancer is a term used to group together a set of diseases that can affect almost any part of our body; it will affect around 1 in 2 people during their lifetimes[16]. A cancer diagnosis can be a life-changing event. Both the disease and its treatment can be extremely demanding on the body, taking away strength when the body needs to be at its strongest[17].

Find out more

  1. Hebuterne et al. JPEN. 2014;38(2):196-204
  2. Andreyev et al. Eur J Cancer. 1998;34 (4):503-9.
  3. Daly et al. Pro Nutri Society. 2018;77:135-51.
  4. Marshall et al. Clin Nutr. 2018;38(2):644-51.
  5. Fukuda et al. Ann Surg Oncol. 2015;22(3):S778-85.
  6. Lieffers et al. Br J Cancer. 2012;107(6):931-6.
  7. Zheng et al. Ann Surg Oncol. 2017;24(11):3376-85.
  8. Zhao et al. Nutr Cancer. 2018;70(8):1254-63.
  9. Pressoir et al. Br J Cancer. 2010;102(6):966-71.
  10.  Na et al. Nutr Cancer. 2018;70(8):1228-36.
  11.  D’Almeida et al. J Nutr Health Aging. 2020;24:166-71.
  12.  Loan et al. Nutrition. 2018;48:117-21.
  13.  Zhang et al. J Geriatric Oncol. 2019;10(6):874-83
  14.  Baracos et al, Nat Rev Dis Primers, 2018;4:17105
  15.  Martin et al. J Clin Oncol. 2015;33(1):90-9
  16.  AS Ahmad, et al. Br J Cancer, 2015;112(5): 943–7.
  17.  Ryan et al. Proc Nutr Soc, 2016;75(2)199-211.

 

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