# Nutrition impact symptoms

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/nutrition-impact-symptoms/  
OnCo record `nutrition-impact-symptoms` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

The side-effects of cancer and its treatment that stop people eating: nausea, mouth soreness, taste changes, difficulty swallowing, early fullness, constipation, pain and low mood. Treating them is often the most effective nutrition intervention.

## Summary

Nutrition impact symptoms explain much of the weight loss in head and neck, oesophageal, gastric and pancreatic cancer and during chemotherapy, and unlike cachexia they are reversible with targeted treatment (antiemetics, mouthcare, dysphagia diets, pancreatic enzyme replacement, laxatives, analgesia). Systematic screening with the PG-SGA symptom checklist or patient-reported outcome tools identifies them earlier than clinician assessment. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, present in most pancreatic cancer patients, is under-treated.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Also known as: NIS; Eating-related symptoms

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgeusia
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgeusia

## Connected records

- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/gastric/), [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/), [Oesophageal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/esophageal/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- technologies: [Antiemetics for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting](https://onco.cc/technologies/antiemetic-therapy/), [Electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) symptom monitoring](https://onco.cc/technologies/epro-symptom-monitoring/), [Enteral and parenteral nutrition support](https://onco.cc/technologies/enteral-parenteral-nutrition/), [Oncology nutrition assessment and medical nutrition therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/nutrition-screening-mnt/)
- terms: [Cancer cachexia](https://onco.cc/terms/cachexia/), [Eating after a Whipple operation: slow stomach emptying, dumping and bowel changes](https://onco.cc/terms/eating-after-whipple/), [Malnutrition screening tools (MUST, NRS-2002, MST, PG-SGA)](https://onco.cc/terms/malnutrition-screening/), [Palliation in pancreatic cancer: biliary and duodenal stents, coeliac plexus block, enzymes and cachexia](https://onco.cc/terms/pancreatic-palliation-obstruction-pain-nutrition/), [Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT, pancreatin, Creon) for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: why and how to take it](https://onco.cc/terms/pancreatic-enzyme-replacement/), [Weight loss, fat digestion and enzymes with gallbladder cancer](https://onco.cc/terms/weight-loss-and-fat-digestion-biliary/)
- bottlenecks: [Cachexia, toxicity and the limits of the patient](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-cachexia-supportive/), [Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/)
- trials: [Low-dose olanzapine for cancer anorexia (Tata Memorial)](https://onco.cc/trials/olanzapine-appetite-tmh/)
- ideas: [A dietitian in every gastrointestinal and head and neck tumour board](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-nl-dietitian-in-every-mdt/)

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