Nutrition Care Practices in Colorectal Cancer: A National Survey of Patients, Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals in Canada

Nutrition is an essential component of colorectal cancer (CRC) care, influencing treatment tolerance, functional status, and quality of life, yet it remains inconsistently integrated into practice. This study examined experiences with nutrition management and gaps in nutrition care among patients with CRC, caregivers, and healthcare professionals across Canada through a multi-center, cross-sectional survey conducted from July 2025 to February 2026. A total of 243 participants completed the survey, including 121 patients, 45 caregivers, and 77 healthcare professionals. Among patients, 51.2% reported that nutritional status was discussed or assessed during treatment, while 24.0% reported it was never discussed. More than half of patients (55.4%) said they did not receive adequate information regarding weight loss during treatment. Caregivers described substantial nutrition impact symptoms and identified a need for clearer guidance, emotional support, and improved access to dietitians. Healthcare professionals rated nutrition care as highly important yet reported barriers to effective delivery, including limited staffing, lack of standardized screening, and reactive care processes. Across groups, respondents emphasized the importance of timely, personalized, and culturally relevant nutrition care. Overall, nutrition remains insufficiently embedded in CRC care, highlighting the need for routine screening, standardized referral pathways, earlier intervention, and integrated patient-centered nutrition care models to improve CRC care.