Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Cancer Nutrition and Rehabilitation – Its Time has Come!
Abstract
Cancer is a systemic disease that can affect virtually every organ in the body. This results in a progressive loss of function of the organ. This loss of function may be slow initially and have minimal effect or rapid resulting in more dramatic changes.
The usual medical management of patients with cancer has focused more specifically on the administration of cytotoxic treatments. Treatments which, can potentially eradicate or minimize the tumour, however they may also have toxic side effects which in turn can also affect the patient,
Cancer rehabilitation is a process that assists the individual with a cancer diagnosis to obtain optimal physical, social, psychological and vocational functioning within the limits created by the disease and its treatment.
The McGill Cancer Nutrition and Rehabilitation (CNR) program developed due to the ever increasing demand to focus on addressing the individual cancer patient and his/her needs as well as on achieving optimal tumor related outcomes.
Its global objective is, through an interdisciplinary approach, to empower individuals who are experiencing loss of function, fatigue, malnutrition, psychological distress, and other symptoms as a result of cancer or its treatment to improve their own quality of life. All team members who are experts in their respective fields assess all patients. Hereafter a team discussion and planning meeting is held to design a specific 8 week program for each individual patient. The hoped-for outcome for this program is primarily to empower patients to “take control” or to enable patients to improve their own quality of life. This article will review the philosophy of this approach as well as the roles played by each member of the team.
The usual medical management of patients with cancer has focused more specifically on the administration of cytotoxic treatments. Treatments which, can potentially eradicate or minimize the tumour, however they may also have toxic side effects which in turn can also affect the patient,
Cancer rehabilitation is a process that assists the individual with a cancer diagnosis to obtain optimal physical, social, psychological and vocational functioning within the limits created by the disease and its treatment.
The McGill Cancer Nutrition and Rehabilitation (CNR) program developed due to the ever increasing demand to focus on addressing the individual cancer patient and his/her needs as well as on achieving optimal tumor related outcomes.
Its global objective is, through an interdisciplinary approach, to empower individuals who are experiencing loss of function, fatigue, malnutrition, psychological distress, and other symptoms as a result of cancer or its treatment to improve their own quality of life. All team members who are experts in their respective fields assess all patients. Hereafter a team discussion and planning meeting is held to design a specific 8 week program for each individual patient. The hoped-for outcome for this program is primarily to empower patients to “take control” or to enable patients to improve their own quality of life. This article will review the philosophy of this approach as well as the roles played by each member of the team.