The Proper Nutritional Support for Reducing Side Effects During Leukemia Treatment

Abstract

Leukemia is cancer of the early blood-forming cells; however, the most common form of leukemia is cancer in the white blood cells. The impact of treatment on an oncology patient can truly affect their body in a negative way.  Therefore, receiving the proper nutritional support needed for leukemia patients will be a factor that will influence how their treatment progresses and how their body will react to the side effects. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics established guidelines (through the Evidence Analysis Library), which outlines the proper nutritional needs specifically in cancer patients. The recommendations were finalized into the EAL and include: validated tools for malnutrition screening and nutrition assessment, evaluation of nutrition status, medical nutrition therapy in patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. A randomized controlled study was conducted to see how well the nutrition interventions protocol for radiation therapy affected oncology patients compared to the standard practice protocols. A study conducted in France looked at the patient’s quality of life and how that can affect the nutritional statuses of oncology patients. The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that about twenty percent of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S are related to body fatness, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and/or poor nutrition. When discussing the relationship of nutritional support in leukemia as well as other forms of cancer, nutrition interventions are an important component of reducing the side effects of treatment.