Define Energy Requirement for Cancer Patients?
It must be clear to you that cancer imposes increased energy demands because of the hyper-metabolic state of the disease process and increased energy requirement to spare proteins for tissue healing and promote weight gain.
In view of the inhibitory factors associated with food intake (cancer cachexia); it may not be feasible to promote an intake beyond 2000 Kcal/day. However, by the help of appetite stimulants and / or nutrition support systems (enteral tube feeding) malnourished patients can be motivated to consume around 30-35 Kcal/kg body weight / day (3000-4000 Kcal/day.). A high energy diet is helpful in inhibiting the side-effects of chemotherapy and cancer cachexia.