Table 2.

Recommendations to address nutritional concerns among older cancer survivors

Nutritional concern	Potential recommendations
Malnutrition	Try to identify the cause of malnutrition via discussion with the patient, caregiver(s), and the clinical care team
	Referral to a registered dietitian*
Unintentional weight loss	Nutritional supplements (e.g., Ensure®), small frequent meals, high protein/high calorie snacks
	Referral to a registered dietitian*
Low food intake due to low appetite, mucositis (mouth sores), xerostomia (dry mouth), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation	Review treatment plan and medication list to identify the cause. Weigh risks and benefits of medications.
Excess body fat	Discuss barriers to healthy eating and/or exercise
	Provide handouts for weight loss (e.g., see the AICR website for up-to-date resources)
	Smartphone applications for weight loss, goal setting, or food logging (e.g., MyFitnessP al)
	Local social groups for weight loss or healthy lifestyles
Poor dentition or denture issues	Referral to a dentist
Speech or swallowing difficulties	Referral to an oral care specialist
Need for extra support for grocery shopping or meal preparation	Home-delivered meal programs from social services organization s (e.g., Meals on Wheels)
	Local grocery delivery services (e.g., Instacart)
	Local or nationwide meal delivery services (e.g., Blue Apron, Splendid Spoon)
Desire for personal diet or nutrition counseling and/or accountability	Referral to a registered dietitian*
	Provide handouts for nutrition in survivorship, weight loss, or weight gain (e.g., see the AICR website for up-to-date resources)
	Smartphone applications for weight loss, goal setting, or food logging (e.g., MyFitnessP al)
	Local social groups for weight loss or healthy lifestyles

^*see oncologynutrition.org for board certified specialists in oncology by state

Abbreviations: AICR, American Institute for Cancer Research