To improve outcomes, to decrease the rate of local recurrence and development of distant
metastases neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies are employed in cancer patients in forms
of radiation, chemo-, endocrine-, targeted-, and immunotherapy or their combination.
Nutrition therapy plays important role in all phases of the cancer journey. From neoadjuvant
therapy to prehabilitation, early postoperative nutrition, and long-term nutrition
care during the adjuvant phase and survivorship determines the survival and quality
of life of cancer patients. During the neoadjuvant phase patients may be in poor nutritional
condition which can be aggravated by the applied oncological treatment. Beside this
apparent threat this period also gives an excellent opportunity to maintain or even
improve the nutritional status of the patients by nutrition therapy. After surgery
the burdening effects of the operation may jeopardize the execution of adjuvant therapy.
After early postoperative feeding a long-term nutrition strategy should be developed
for cancer patients in order to avoid nutritional deterioration during the usually
lengthy postoperative therapy. In this narrative review we discuss how preoperative
nutritional status and medical nutrition therapy influence the results of surgery
and after the operation what is the available evidence about nutritional status and
outcome and the potentials to influence them by nutrition therapy.
