Nutrition and Diet for the Mesothelioma Patient

After diagnosis and assessing which treatment is appropriate for an individual patient, making sure he or she receives enough nutrition throughout treatment or the duration of the illness is a high priority. Dietary and nutritional plans are a crucial part of an overall treatment plan, and they must be adhered to for best treatment results. It is likely that a patient's nutritional needs will change throughout the course of an illness, so patients should be monitored by a healthcare team that includes a nutritionist or dietician.

Ensuring an adequate diet

Decreased appetite is very common in mesothelioma patients due to medication or treatment. Caregivers often must use a degree of creativity in getting patients to eat. Planning meals so that the caregiver may eat with the patient can sometimes stimulate appetite, since eating is a social activity.

Stocking the freezer or pantry with the patient's favorite foods and preparing meal-sized proportions may also be helpful. Balanced nutrition is crucial in palliative care for cancer patients. A good nutrition plan can prevent or reverse nutritional deficiencies, minimize side effects, and maximize quality of life. Diets high in calories and protein help repair body tissue damaged by surgery and other intensive treatments, and help keep the immune system strong. Commercial nutritional products like formulas and instant breakfast powders provide patients with sufficient calories and proteins if they cannot eat solid foods.

Milk, cheese, and cooked eggs are ideal staples for patients undergoing aggressive cancer treatments, because they satisfy the need for a high-calorie, high-protein diet. Hard or semi-soft cheeses, or cottage or ricotta cheeses can help boost protein. Adding butter, margarine, or cream to soups, mashed potatoes, hot cereal, soups sauces, vegetable purees, or to herbs for cooked meat or fish can also boost calories and protein. Using butter or margarine as a dip for seafood or raw vegetables (provided the patient can consume raw veggies) is also suggested. Sweetened whipped cream on hot chocolate, desserts, or pancakes are other ideas for calories. Adding nonfat dry instant milk or melting cheese on top of casseroles, adding cream cheese or sour cream to potatoes, vegetables, in omelets or sandwiches could also make it easier for cancer patients to get necessary calories and protein.

Honey, jam, and sugar are great to spread on breads, add to cereals, or can be used as a glaze for meat or chicken. Granola and dried fruits for breakfast or as a dessert or snack will also increase calories. Adding eggs to any anything from casseroles, devilling, or making desserts with them will also boost caloric intake and protein. Yogurt, ice cream, and frozen yogurt can also be added to carbonated beverages for a tasty root beer or coke float, or can be blended with fruits, or for treat, sandwich ice cream or frozen yogurt between cake slices, cookies, or graham crackers.

Patients with advanced mesothelioma can suffer from a variety of symptoms. Cachexia is a wasting syndrome that causes weakness and weight, fat and muscle loss in which the stomach dumps undigested food into the intestine. Feeling bloated, anorexia, constipation, dry mouth, taste changes, nausea, vomiting, or inability to swallow are also possible side effects. Chest surgery can cause chewing and swallowing problems or mental stress.

The importance of good diet during treatment

Mesothelioma treatment

Palliative treatment

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