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Nutrition for those living with Cancer · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking Facts and thank you for tuning in to Cancer Conversations On Talking Facts,
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  a podcast collaboration between the University of Kentucky,
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  Mary Cancer Center and the UK College of Agriculture,
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  Food and Environments Cooperative Extension Service.
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  We will share with you the latest developments in cancer prevention diagnosis,
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  treatment and research from the experts at Mary Cancer Center.
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  Kentucky's only National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center.
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  Talking Facts is hosted by the UK Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello and welcome to Cancer Conversations On Talking Facts.
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  This is your host,
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  Doctor Jennifer Hunter,
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  assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  Today,
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  I'm pleased to be joined by Rachel Miller,
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  a registered dietician and oncology dietician with the Marquee Cancer Center.
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  Welcome Rachel.
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  Thank you.
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  Good morning.
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  Thank you.
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  So,
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  today we are going to talk about nutrition as part of a cancer diagnosis or as how someone can manage their nutrition or monitor their nutrition when they are going through treatments,
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  right?
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  Let's just get started and tell us first a little bit about the work it is that you do and um how that relates to individuals with cancer.
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  Ok.
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  I myself and another dietician work outpatient here at Mary.
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  So we see folks when they are either at their oncology appointments,
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  office visits while they're here for treatment during chemotherapy,
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  we will see them in radiation therapy.
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  We really kind of see people based on need and referrals from our providers in the team.
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  And we are also part of the psycho team here at market where we are connected with social workers as well.
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  So we're really multidisciplinary.
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  So there,
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  there's lots of services available for nutrition,
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  including people that may have had surgery,
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  patients that may have a feeding tube.
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  We've helped with just some education pieces as far as nutrition is concerned and a mitigation of some of those treatment side effects that make it difficult for a lot of our patients to eat and to maintain their weight.
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  So let's talk a little bit about that for an individual that may be managing a cancer diagnosis.
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  What is the role of nutrition?
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  Very important.
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  Our goal is for a patient to complete their therapy so that they can without any interruptions or breaks or hospitalizations.
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  And so if,
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  if a patient is well nourished,
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  we're really helping to reach that goal a lot,
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  a lot of times our goal is to maintain weight,
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  maintaining adequate nutrition status.
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  So we're encouraging at least getting protein in the diet and working with some of the challenges that we may face.
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  And for example,
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  swallowing difficulties,
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  a lot of uh cancer patients experience malnutrition.
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  At some point,
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  we also may see a patient at diagnosis who is already experiencing some malnutrition if they remember with weight loss,
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  um or if their tumor is limiting their ability to be able to eat properly as an individual goes through their cancer treatment,
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  that your role at marquee is to kind of work with them hand in hand to help at least their nutrition be as good as it possibly can as they're kind of working,
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  working through this.
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  Once a individual is released from care,
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  do you continue to work with them in managing their nutrition once they've absolutely,
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  we keep in contact with patients as long as they need us.
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  So I may see a patient at the beginning of therapy and we may see each other weekly or as needed throughout the whole process.
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  And I'm in reach following treatment even for some of those long term treatment side effects,
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  but also just kind of guiding someone into a more helpful lifestyle post treatment so that we can really optimize nutrition in your,
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  in their,
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  in their journey post treatment.
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  So we are always available regardless of,
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  of need.
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  And if we feel it necessary,
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  we can,
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  for example,
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  refer someone uh to the community for diabetes or we can connect someone for weight management so that we're kind of,
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  we can kind of bridge that here at that point.
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  That is one of the things that I've really learned about doing this podcast series with Marques is really truly the the continuum of care and the different people,
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  like you said,
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  that you're able to bridge individuals with during treatment as well as,
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  as well as after treatment,
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  a question that popped to mind there as you were talking,
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  you mentioned about treatment side effects.
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  And this may be somewhat of a random question,
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  but it did kind of pop into my head.
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  And sometimes I've learned when questions pop into my head,
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  they might pop into our listeners heads as well.
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  But are there certain foods that you can help patients with to manage side effects?
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  For sure,
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  I I that's a common question and the way that I approach that is depending on my patient.
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  So depending on what treatment modality they may be receiving what their diagnosis is.
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  For example,
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  I know that if I have a patient with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis,
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  they're more likely to feel full easily,
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  early satiety and they may have difficulty digesting fat.
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  So I I I kind of approach their needs in in that way.
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  And so I can suggest smaller meals more often alternating liquids and solids to really optimize what they're able to take in.
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  So as far as you know what to eat,
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  you know,
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  with general healthy diet,
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  of course,
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  but our modifications may be based on what they're feeling at the time.
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  And whether they are experiencing difficult swallowing,
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  for example,
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  from radiation therapy to the head and neck area,
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  or if they're nauseated or if they have chemotherapy induced diarrhea,
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  then I'm gonna approach that with foods that are gonna be more easily digested or foods that are gonna be high calorie,
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  high protein based on the individual's needs,
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  which continue to change during the uh progress of the treatment plan.
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  A lot of times,
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  especially with our uh radiation therapy and chemo with our head and neck patients,
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  you know,
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  we every week is different.
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  And so those folks,
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  we may follow up a little bit more closely to help manage and provide ideas and sometimes we just have to change the game plan and,
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  and,
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  and that's ok.
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  So we can reach our ultimate goal of maintaining nutrition and concluding the therapy.
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  Also,
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  I think kind of one of one of my key takeaways from this conversation as well is there's not a one size fits all approach that you're really tailoring your approach to the specific individual,
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  their diagnosis,
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  their treatment plan,
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  et cetera.
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  And so to me,
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  that kind of reinforces the idea that an individual does need to reach out and seek professional help when trying to truly manage their nutrition during a cancer diagnosis.
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  Is that true?
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  Absolutely.
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  And eating is very personal.
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  You know,
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  we see people from all backgrounds,
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  all ages,
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  we see anyone really eating is personal,
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  we have preferences,
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  we have textures,
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  we have,
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  you know,
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  even just habits that we may have been used to for our whole lives.
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  And then something changes where we have to go from maybe typically eating two meals a day to eating six or eight because we've either had a,
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  a surgery or the appetite has been a problem.
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  So I always am taking into account our food preferences,
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  but also what we're able to do and what we may be limited with in terms of the person's ability to eat and tolerate and,
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  and taste change is uh definitely one of those that periods of curveball because it makes it very difficult to enjoy some of the things that you may have have always gravitated to and it makes,
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  you know,
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  the changes the palate.
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  So we're,
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  it's it's difficult to um kind of look at all those things.
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  And so I really do look at each patient individually in that way,
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  Rachel.
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  Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing with our listeners.
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  We appreciate your time.
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  Thank you so much.
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  I hope that that was helpful and that everyone out there is aware of what we're able to help with many different ways depending on what you need.
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  So we are all in.
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  Thank you.
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  Thank you so much.
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  Thank you for listening to cancer Conversations on Talking facts.
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  Our goal is to connect you with the latest advances in cancer research in the commonwealth.
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  If you enjoyed today's podcast and have a suggestion for a future show topic,
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  please message us on the UK,
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  Marky Cancer Center,
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  Facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash UK Mary or visit our website at Mary dot UK Y dot E D U.
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  For more information,
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  you can find University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences extension programs at your local extension office or online at F CS dot UK Y dot E D U building,
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  building Kentucky.
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  It starts with us.