Nutrition. 2026 Jun 30;151:113348. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2026.113348. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Nutritional care is essential for improving clinical outcomes in people with cancer, and communicating with healthcare professionals about clinical nutrition is fundamental for effective nutritional management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare professionals and patients regarding nutritional care in oncology, including the role of nutritionists, professional practices, and patient experiences.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included healthcare professionals and patients from public and private oncology institutions. Data were collected using semistructured questionnaires. Professionals were questioned regarding criteria related to identifying nutritional risk, conducting assessments, and recommending nutritional therapy. Patients reported their perceptions of nutritional care, prior nutritional counseling, adherence to recommendations, and willingness to pay for consultations. Quantitative variables were expressed as frequencies, percentages, means ± standard deviations, medians, and ranges. A P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: The study included healthcare professionals (n = 130) and patients (n = 360). Most professionals acknowledged the need and relevance of nutritional care during cancer treatment, but reported assessing the nutritional status of patients based primarily on body weight. Although 81.4% of physicians could identify patients at nutritional risk, 31.4% relied primarily on weight loss and body mass index as the main criteria, suggesting potential limitations in the methods used. Patients in both systems recognized the importance of nutritional care, although 7.3% did not follow recommendations of dietitians, citing a lack of dietary novelty.
CONCLUSIONS: Professionals and patients recognize the importance of nutritional care and the role of dietitians in oncology; however, gaps remain in translating this recognition into practice.
PMID:42531663 | DOI:10.1016/j.nut.2026.113348
