Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review
While surgical therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) is showing improvement with the advancement of reconstruction techniques, the focus in these patients should also be shifting to supportive pre and aftercare. Due to the highly sensitive and anatomically complex region, these patients tend to exh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/8/1864 |
| _version_ | 1797603999766020096 |
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| author | Dinko Martinovic Daria Tokic Ema Puizina Mladinic Mislav Usljebrka Sanja Kadic Antonella Lesin Marino Vilovic Slaven Lupi-Ferandin Sasa Ercegovic Marko Kumric Josipa Bukic Josko Bozic |
| author_facet | Dinko Martinovic Daria Tokic Ema Puizina Mladinic Mislav Usljebrka Sanja Kadic Antonella Lesin Marino Vilovic Slaven Lupi-Ferandin Sasa Ercegovic Marko Kumric Josipa Bukic Josko Bozic |
| author_sort | Dinko Martinovic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While surgical therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) is showing improvement with the advancement of reconstruction techniques, the focus in these patients should also be shifting to supportive pre and aftercare. Due to the highly sensitive and anatomically complex region, these patients tend to exhibit malnutrition, which has a substantial impact on their recovery and quality of life. The complications and symptoms of both the disease and the therapy usually make these patients unable to orally intake food, hence, a strategy should be prepared for their nutritional management. Even though there are several possible nutritional modalities that can be administrated, these patients commonly have a functional gastrointestinal tract, and enteral nutrition is indicated over the parenteral option. However, after extensive research of the available literature, it seems that there is a limited number of studies that focus on this important issue. Furthermore, there are no recommendations or guidelines regarding the nutritional management of HNC patients, pre- or post-operatively. Henceforth, this narrative review summarizes the nutritional challenges and management modalities in this particular group of patients. Nonetheless, this issue should be addressed in future studies and an algorithm should be established for better nutritional care of these patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:39:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0c61abaff3ed4042a144cb786248d599 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:39:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-0c61abaff3ed4042a144cb786248d5992023-11-17T20:45:32ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432023-04-01158186410.3390/nu15081864Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive ReviewDinko Martinovic0Daria Tokic1Ema Puizina Mladinic2Mislav Usljebrka3Sanja Kadic4Antonella Lesin5Marino Vilovic6Slaven Lupi-Ferandin7Sasa Ercegovic8Marko Kumric9Josipa Bukic10Josko Bozic11Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Pharmacy, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, CroatiaDepartment of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, CroatiaWhile surgical therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) is showing improvement with the advancement of reconstruction techniques, the focus in these patients should also be shifting to supportive pre and aftercare. Due to the highly sensitive and anatomically complex region, these patients tend to exhibit malnutrition, which has a substantial impact on their recovery and quality of life. The complications and symptoms of both the disease and the therapy usually make these patients unable to orally intake food, hence, a strategy should be prepared for their nutritional management. Even though there are several possible nutritional modalities that can be administrated, these patients commonly have a functional gastrointestinal tract, and enteral nutrition is indicated over the parenteral option. However, after extensive research of the available literature, it seems that there is a limited number of studies that focus on this important issue. Furthermore, there are no recommendations or guidelines regarding the nutritional management of HNC patients, pre- or post-operatively. Henceforth, this narrative review summarizes the nutritional challenges and management modalities in this particular group of patients. Nonetheless, this issue should be addressed in future studies and an algorithm should be established for better nutritional care of these patients.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/8/1864head and neck surgeryoromaxillofacial surgeryhead and neck cancerclinical nutrition |
| spellingShingle | Dinko Martinovic Daria Tokic Ema Puizina Mladinic Mislav Usljebrka Sanja Kadic Antonella Lesin Marino Vilovic Slaven Lupi-Ferandin Sasa Ercegovic Marko Kumric Josipa Bukic Josko Bozic Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review Nutrients head and neck surgery oromaxillofacial surgery head and neck cancer clinical nutrition |
| title | Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full | Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review |
| title_fullStr | Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review |
| title_short | Nutritional Management of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer—A Comprehensive Review |
| title_sort | nutritional management of patients with head and neck cancer a comprehensive review |
| topic | head and neck surgery oromaxillofacial surgery head and neck cancer clinical nutrition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/8/1864 |
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