Correct nutrition is vital for sustaining an excellent high quality of life. With the onset of pancreatic cancer and associated treatments, it would grow to be important. So, we’re kicking off Nationwide Diet Month with an interview with our Chief Medical Officer, Anne-Marie Duliege, M.D.
We requested Anne-Marie to share key parts that pancreatic most cancers sufferers ought to learn about weight-reduction plan and diet. She additionally provides a preview of what’s to return on this topic all through March on our PanCAN weblog.
Anne-Marie, what’s one thing you want all sufferers knew about diet?
I wish to convey to sufferers how vital it’s to have the correct diet at the moment of their lives. It is not uncommon for sufferers with pancreatic most cancers to expertise symptoms like loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea and diabetes, so it may be more difficult to get correct diet – however doing so may help tremendously in how one feels mentally and bodily. Additionally, many side effects of chemotherapy will be managed or prevented by means of correct diet.
It’s also vital for sufferers to appreciate that particular diets and diet can not deal with their most cancers, as in, “slicing out all sugar and carbs will assist battle the illness.” I perceive that sufferers wish to really feel “in management” of their most cancers, versus the most cancers controlling them. However generally folks go to excessive measures with inappropriate diets that don’t assist and may really trigger hurt.
Give us your ideas on oncology dietitians and their function in affected person care.
Anne-Marie Duliege, M.D., PanCAN’s Chief Medical Officer
If doable, sufferers ought to attempt to hunt down a team of healthcare professionals for his or her care versus being below the care of just one or two folks. Most cancer centers have a support team for every affected person and that staff might embody physicians, nurses, social staff, supportive care specialists and knowledgeable dietitian. Discovering specialists and facilities which have expertise treating pancreatic most cancers is a element of “The Right Track” – steps we suggest sufferers take after analysis. Every member of this staff is very specialised and centered on particular components of your care, however on the similar time, they’re all working collectively to make sure that you may have the very best end result.
A dietitian – and particularly one that focuses on caring for most cancers sufferers – performs a vital function within the affected person’s wellbeing by guiding dietary wants associated to unwanted side effects from the most cancers itself or from therapy. They’ll cross alongside ideas, reminiscent of, give attention to consuming six small meals all through the day versus three giant ones. Or to achieve weight, give attention to these protein sources. Or to settle an upset abdomen, keep away from these meals. These are just some of the areas by which dietitians can advise sufferers and, on the similar time, enhance their high quality of life.
This sounds quite a bit like supportive care. Are you able to discuss this side of a affected person’s expertise with pancreatic most cancers?
Supportive care is about offering consolation and enhancing high quality of life throughout and after therapy by decreasing and presumably assuaging the signs and unwanted side effects of pancreatic most cancers and therapy.
We suggest that symptom administration and supportive care be offered quickly after analysis and maintained all through therapy. Good diet may help sufferers hold a wholesome weight and higher tolerate a few of the unwanted side effects, so it’s undoubtedly part of supportive care.
And let’s not neglect the significance of pancreatic enzymes when discussing dietary wants as a part of supportive care. PanCAN’s Precision PromiseSM Supportive Care Committee members, together with Lynn Matrisian, PanCAN’s Chief Science Officer, authored an article that acknowledged that weight reduction in pancreatic most cancers sufferers must be handled as aggressively because the most cancers itself and really helpful that sufferers obtain pancreatic enzyme alternative remedy as a part of the set of evidence-based suggestions for doing so.
Pancreatic enzymes – inform us extra.
This subject is a vital one – and it is going to be mentioned in additional depth on PanCAN’s weblog as a part of our Diet Month protection. However the brief reply is that sufferers’ tumors or therapy can stop the pancreas from utilizing enzymes to interrupt down meals correctly. And incapability to soak up vitamins as a result of enzyme insufficiency can have an effect on high quality of life and skill to tolerate therapy. Pancreatic enzyme replacements may help. Sadly, we all know that many sufferers are usually not instructed about enzyme alternative and the way important they’re. One observe – enzymes will be costly, however our Patient Services staff may help sufferers and households discover sources that will assist with price.
What else can sufferers and households count on to examine this month as a part of our exploration of weight-reduction plan and diet subjects?
We now have loads of vital data to share, together with a dialogue with PanCAN’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board member Jeannine Mills, a medical oncology dietitian at Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Most cancers Middle, about every little thing from the way to learn a diet label to mind-boosting meals – and whether or not they could assist with “chemo mind.” You’re going to get to listen to from a caregiver about how diet made a distinction in his mom’s pancreatic most cancers expertise, and we’ll cross alongside a listing of inquiries to ask your oncology dietitian. As talked about, we are going to go extra in-depth with pancreatic enzymes and every little thing sufferers ought to learn about enzyme alternative remedy.
Additionally, we encourage sufferers and caregivers to contact our Affected person Companies staff for extra data on weight-reduction plan and diet – we will ship you a free booklet with recommendations on the subject – and the rest associated to residing with pancreatic most cancers. We’re right here to assist and stay up for supporting you.
