Throughout an interview with CURE, Dr. Tracy Proverbs-Singh, a gastrointestinal oncologist at John Theurer Most cancers Middle, mentioned how she helps sufferers handle modifications in digestion and diet.
Sufferers with gastrointestinal cancers usually face challenges absorbing vitamins and processing meals, as tumors, surgical procedures, or therapies can have an effect on the digestive tract. These with colon most cancers might have issue absorbing water, which may result in diarrhea after components of the colon are eliminated. Sufferers with pancreatic most cancers might expertise pancreatic insufficiency, inflicting sure meals to cross by way of the physique with out correct digestion or absorption of important vitamins.
Managing these points requires a coordinated, multidisciplinary strategy. Docs, nurses, dietitians and gastroenterologists work collectively to assist sufferers handle signs, keep power and get essentially the most diet potential from the meals they eat. This complete care helps total well being and helps sufferers higher tolerate therapy whereas addressing the challenges distinctive to gastrointestinal cancers.
Transcript
How do you assist sufferers handle modifications in digestion or diet?
I am a gastrointestinal oncologist, so we take care of the gastrointestinal tract, and infrequently our tumors have an effect on our means to not solely attain vitamins, however to soak up and to take care of meals, as that is the first gasoline that we’ve got for our our bodies. Oftentimes, particularly with colon cancers, we do not take up the water as a lot. Sufferers might have diarrhea after they’re lacking a part of their colon. Sufferers with pancreas most cancers might have what we name pancreatic insufficiency. So after they eat sure meals, they do not digest it; it goes sort of proper by way of them. So we’ve got totally different mechanisms. We’re a multidisciplinary workforce, so between the medical doctors and nurses, we additionally embrace our dietitians, our gastroenterologists, to assist us handle these signs and assist us to have the ability to higher sort of eat the meals, but in addition get what we want out of the meals, all of the vitamins.
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
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