How Cancer Treatment Can Affect Your Eating?

Cancer, as well as its treatments, have unpredictable effects on your body and your appetite. The illness and its treatments may also alter your body's ability to tolerate certain foods and to use nutrients. Many people may experience eating problems during and after the treatments.

Surgery

If you’re having mouth, throat, or stomach surgery for cancer, you will experience difficulty in eating. You may need to get nutrition in other ways, such as intravenously (through a vein); through a tube in your nose; or through a tube in your stomach or the upper part of your intestine.

Radiation

Radiation treatment to the head and neck can also cause trouble in eating. You will have difficulty in swallowing and you could experience taste changes, dry mouth, or soreness in the mouth or throat. Radiation to the chest can also trigger trouble in swallowing. Similarly, radiation to the stomach, abdominal (belly) area or pelvis can cause nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and bloating.

Chemotherapy

Many chemotherapy medications can affect your digestive system. You will experience nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, constipation, weight gain or loss.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy stimulates your body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Side effects include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Sore mouth
• Dry mouth
• Weight loss
• Changes in the taste of food
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue (feeling unusually tired)
• Fever

Hormonal therapy

Hormonal therapy uses medications that stop your body from making some hormones or change the way they work. Side effects include changes in appetite, water retention, weight gain, and nausea and vomiting.
What to do?

During cancer treatment, it’s important to ensure that you absorb the recommended nutrients from a well-balanced diet. This is because your body has a hard time fighting off infection. Taking a low-dose multivitamin and mineral supplement can help, if you have a poor diet. 

If you’re experiencing difficulty in eating, here are some suggestions for selecting food: 

• Foods that look appealing often taste better.
• Select foods with a variety of colors, temperatures, and textures.
• Drink liquids or use gum, mints or hard candies to remove a bad taste.
• Use plastic utensils if you have a bitter or metallic taste in your mouth when eating.
• Maintain good oral hygiene.
• Try to avoid spices, acidic foods, and hot foods or beverages, if your mouth or throat is sore.
• Check with your doctor to see if your taste changes because of medications. Stop your medications only if your doctor tells you to.
• Get suggestions for healthcare professionals about mouth rinses.

Seek help from your doctor or a registered dietician for further advice if these measures don't help.

Blog Reviewed By: Dr. Shiva Kumar Uppala
Mail us: oncologistindiadrshiva@gmail.com
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