Current problems in cancer
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Pain management, nutritional support, and psychosocial support are fundamental services that enhance patients' ability to cope with their cancer and its therapy. The common goal of symptom prevention mandates that each of these supportive services be provided to all patients throughout their cancer experience. Comprehensive cancer pain management begins with identifying the origin of all of the patient's pains and treating each one specifically. ⋯ Principles of nutritional support in patients with cancer include an awareness of the problem of malnutrition and its impact on performance status, quality of life, prognosis, and treatment; identification of those patients at risk; prophylactic versus therapeutic intervention; and analysis and management of the specific impediment(s) to adequate nutrient intake and absorption. The primary goals for nutritional support in cancer patients are prevention of weight loss and maintenance of adequate protein status. Appreciation of practical issues of nutritional support will enable the practicing physician to achieve these goals using primarily oral nutrition options.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)