Guide lays out healthy diet for cancer patients

A guide on how to provide those with cancer with a more nutritious diet has been published in Beijing.

"The goal is to popularize knowledge about how to eat properly and improve the life quality of cancer patients," said Yu Kang, director of the department of nutrition at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

About 3.9 million cases of cancer are diagnosed in China each year, and about 2.3 million people die of the disease. In China, only 30 percent of those found to have non-benign tumors live for another five years, compared with 70 percent in developed countries.

"Medical resources are limited in China," Yu said. "Clinicians like me can only reach 1 in 10 of those with tumors. The rest are taken care of in households and other public facilities, so there is an urgent need for a dietary guide."

The guide contains eight chapters highlighting the importance of nutritional intake, nutritional support for those with tumors at different phases and receiving various treatments.

"Prognosis is as important as treatment," said Yang Yuexin, chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society. "Many people do not know how to eat in a healthy way, and our goal is to enhance tumor patients' quality of life and extend their life expectancy."

The guide is sponsored by the Chinese Nutrition Society, and top nutritionists from the country have contributed.

"In the near future we hope that in addition to hospitals, communities can play a more active role in tumor patients' pain management and nutritional management," said Sun Jianqin, director of the department of nutrition at Huadong Hospital affiliated with Fudan University.