Effects of Dietary Interventions on Nutritional Status in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Systematic Review

<b>Introduction/Object</b>: Gastrointestinal cancers are among the most common types of neoplasms and are often associated with malnutrition, which affects physical performance, treatment tolerance and prognosis. This paper aims to synthesize, through a systematic search, the evidence on the impact of nutritional interventions on nutritional status in patients with digestive cancers prone to malnutrition. <b>Methods</b>: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, MDPI, Web of Science and ScienceDirect, for articles published between 2009 and 2025. Overall, 14,503 records were identified, and after screening of titles, abstracts and full-text evaluation, 80 studies (cross-sectional and cohort) were included. Data extraction was performed by a single researcher, using pre-established criteria and a standardized table, and the assessment of study quality was performed qualitatively, taking into account study design, sample size, nutritional assessment methods and clarity of reporting of results. <b>Results</b>: Evidence suggests that individualized and early applied nutritional interventions contribute to maintaining weight and protein status, improve tolerance to oncological treatments and may positively influence patient survival. <b>Conclusions</b>: Nutritional therapy plays a crucial role in preventing complications and supporting the body during oncological treatment, optimizing patients' quality of life. This review provides a clear synthesis of the current evidence and recognizes methodological limitations related to the qualitative assessment of the included studies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Biomedicines
Published
2026-01-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14010240
Primary Topic
Nutrition and Health in Aging
Type
article
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article

Effects of Dietary Interventions on Nutritional Status in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Systematic Review

Laura Grațiela Vicaș, Eleonora Marian, Octavia Gligor, Nicole Alina Marian et al.
Biomedicines
Nutrition and Health in Aging
article

Effects of Dietary Interventions on Nutritional Status in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Systematic Review

Laura Grațiela Vicaș, Eleonora Marian, Octavia Gligor, Nicole Alina Marian, Mariana Eugenia Mureșan, Patricia-Andrada Grigore, Camelia Maria Caragescu (Lup), Angela Mirela Antonescu
article en

Abstract

<b>Introduction/Object</b>: Gastrointestinal cancers are among the most common types of neoplasms and are often associated with malnutrition, which affects physical performance, treatment tolerance and prognosis. This paper aims to synthesize, through a systematic search, the evidence on the impact of nutritional interventions on nutritional status in patients with digestive cancers prone to malnutrition. <b>Methods</b>: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, MDPI, Web of Science and ScienceDirect, for articles published between 2009 and 2025. Overall, 14,503 records were identified, and after screening of titles, abstracts and full-text evaluation, 80 studies (cross-sectional and cohort) were included. Data extraction was performed by a single researcher, using pre-established criteria and a standardized table, and the assessment of study quality was performed qualitatively, taking into account study design, sample size, nutritional assessment methods and clarity of reporting of results. <b>Results</b>: Evidence suggests that individualized and early applied nutritional interventions contribute to maintaining weight and protein status, improve tolerance to oncological treatments and may positively influence patient survival. <b>Conclusions</b>: Nutritional therapy plays a crucial role in preventing complications and supporting the body during oncological treatment, optimizing patients' quality of life. This review provides a clear synthesis of the current evidence and recognizes methodological limitations related to the qualitative assessment of the included studies.

BiomedicinesVol. 14(1)
University of Oradea (RO), Clinical Emergency Hospital Bucharest (RO)
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 83%
Nutrition and Health in Aging
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