Enteral Nutrition Support in Patients with Head and Neck Cancers Being Treated with Radiotherapy and/or Chemotherapy

Objective: To determine the methods, benefits and risks of enteral feeding used in the nutritional management of patients with head and neck cancer receiving treatment (Surgery, Radiotherapy and/or Chemotherapy).
Methodology: Databases from Google Scholar and Google, Cochrane ENT, trials, PubMed, EMBASE, KoreaMed, IndMed and ISI Web of Science.
Results: Malnutrition occurs frequently in head and neck cancer. Nutritional oncology is a new discipline and requires, as do other oncologic disciplines, use of standardised intervention protocols.
Conclusion: Early enteral nutrition support improves treatment tolerance and outcomes in head and neck cancer patients undergoing, treatment resulting in fewer complications and hospital admissions. Based on our findings, enteral nutrition support should be indicated for patients with head and neck cancer considering the potential effects to improve the quality of life.

Author(s): Chukka Kereena and Ch. Kalyan Kumar

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