Clinical Nutrition

Good nutrition is essential in a child suffering from cancer

• Nutrition is an essential factor for the health of all children. It is especially important for children suffering from cancer treatment to get the nutrients they need to fight the disease, avoid the side effects of the treatment, have normal growth, and promote the quality of life of the child.
• Eating right before, during, and after treatment can help a child feel better and stronger. Hospital 57357’s nutritional therapy department created this page to help you understand the importance of nutrition during the disease and the nutritional side effects of the treatment that might affect how well your child can eat.
• Not every child has nutrition-related side effects, but this guide will help you manage them when they come up.

This information is not meant to replace the advice of the medical professional. If you have any questions or concerns, you should talk to the nutritional therapy department specialist about your child’s nutritional problem.

Cancer and cancer treatments can also affect the way the body tolerates certain foods and uses nutrients. The nutrient needs of kids with cancer vary from child to child. Eating well during cancer treatment might help your child:

• To tolerate the treatment and its side effects.
• Stay closer to the treatment plan schedule.
• Heal and recover faster.
• Decrease the risk of infection during treatment.
• Have better strength and energy.
• Keep up their growth and development in the normal range.
• Reserve their body’s store of nutrients.
• Feel better and have a better quality of life.

Eating and drinking can often be challenging. The child may have symptoms, which make it difficult for him to eat a normal diet due to such as:

• Anorexia (poor appetite), nausea & vomiting, sore mouth or throat, taste changes, dry mouth, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal colic, and pain.

If the child has any of these symptoms, as many children will not meet their full dietary needs due to symptoms affecting their intake, talk to the nutritional specialist or dietitian. A dietitian can suggest foods and ideas to help manage these symptoms.

Goals

• Fulfill the nutritional daily requirements of the child.
• Overcome the nutritional side effects of the disease and the treatment.
• Guarantee normal development and growth of the child.

Children with cancer have their own nutrition needs. Talk to the nutritional team whenever you have concerns about how much your child has been eating or drinking. The doctor, clinical pharmacist, dietitian, as well psychiatrist, and child’s dentist can help you satisfy your child’s needs and come up with an eating plan.

Department Structure

The clinical nutrition staff forms a unique integrated team consisting of:

• Senior clinical nutrition professors in clinical nutrition and consultants from the National Nutrition Institute and UN organizations in clinical nutrition.
• Physician Specialized in clinical nutrition.
• Pharmacists certified by ASPEN in nutrition.
• Certified dietitians.
• Consultant and specialists in food safety.
• Trained nurses on nutrition.

How we contribute towards cancer-free childhood

• Raising nutrition health awareness and nutrition education through the life cycle about the healthy diet that prevents the development of cancer or expression of cancer genes.
• Better nutrition assessment and management throughout the cycles of treatment for better response to therapy and increased cure rates

Activities

• Development of a Clinical Nutrition policy.
• Establish an integrated nutrition team comprising specialized physicians, pharmacists, dietitians & food safety consultants.
• Development of Nutrition screening, assessment, support, and follow-up record sheets on Cerner’s system.
• Setting up a Nutrition study team.
• Ongoing research work in nutrition at different stages of implementation.
• Accreditation of the hospital in the Egyptian nutrition fellowship.
• Internship training in clinical nutrition for physicians, pharmacists, and dietitians.
• Egyptian fellowship training.
• Participation in different nutrition education and awareness activities inside and outside the hospital.
• Development of nutrition education booklet.
• Monthly nutrition education “through ask and I will answer” symposium to patient’s family.
• Application of strict rules of food safety.
• Revision of the menus and implementation of new fortified formulas.
• This year, the hospital obtained the FSSC certificate 57357, the only hospital in Egypt with this food safety accreditation.
• Practical Application training for clinical nutrition diploma students, faculty of pharmacy, Cairo University.
• Practical Application training for Pediatric specialist physician, Texas University.
• Training course on enteral and parenteral feeding for physicians and pharmacists.
• Summer training course for 2 waves of undergraduate students from pharmacy and medical colleges on clinical nutrition basics.
• summer training course for 6 waves of undergraduate students from faculties of agriculture, home economics(food sciences), science, and veterinary college on the basics of nutrition and food safety
• The Food Safety team has been awarded many different certificates and awards in their endeavors to provide the latest in food safety standards in food manufacturing and production to all consumers as:

-FSSC 2200 V5.1 Lead Auditor 6/2023

-Certified QMS lead Auditor for ISO 9001 15/12/2022

-Certified FSMS Lead Auditor for ISO 22000 14/1/2023