Schab and Scoczen 2024, Nutritional status, body composition and diet quality in children with cancer

Frontiers | Nutritional status, body composition and diet quality in children with cancer

This paper provides valuable insights into the dual challenges of malnutrition and obesity in children with cancer, emphasizing their significant impact during treatment. The review describes how alterations in body composition—specifically increased fat mass and decreased muscle mass—affect treatment tolerance, susceptibility to infections, and the pharmacokinetics of drugs, including distribution, metabolism, and clearance of drugs from the body. The paper also highlights the dietary and nutritional challenges faced by children during treatment, particularly the difficulty in maintaining a balanced diet with sufficient micronutrients, as unhealthy foods often replace healthier options during treatment.

It includes a comprehensive discussion of how the disease and its treatment affect body composition, dietary intake and physical activity in these children, along with the barriers for effective interventions. It underscores the importance of monitoring and addressing these factors to improve treatment outcomes, making it a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and researchers aiming to enhance the care of pediatric cancer patients. It also summarizes the current knowledge, identifying gaps in research for future studies.