Nutritional Support in Esophagogastric Cancers.

Overview

Esophageal and gastric cancers are common malignancies, both in the United States and worldwide, that carry significant morbidity and mortality. Malnutrition is a common complication in patients with esophageal and gastric cancers and it portends a poor prognosis. For patients who undergo surgical therapy for these types of cancers, preoperative and postoperative nutritional optimization have been shown to improve outcomes. The support can be accomplished in different manners, including orally, enterally, or parentally. In patients who do not undergo surgery but receive chemotherapy and/or radiation, nutritional support is also an important aspect of the multidisciplinary care approach.