Abstract
Background: Cancer-related malnutrition is a common issue that can seriously affect treatment outcomes. While clinical guidelines suggest that regular nutritional assessments and interventions should be part of cancer care, there's still some uncertainty about how much these measures help and their effects on survival rates. This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of nutritional therapy when used alongside cancer treatment. Methods: A systematic review was carried out in line with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, searching through electronic databases and grey literature sources. The studies focused on adults diagnosed with any type of cancer who were receiving structured nutritional interventions. These interventions encompassed enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, immunonutrition, micronutrient supplementation, or specialized diets. The comparisons were made against standard care or other nutritional strategies. The primary outcomes were indicators of nutritional status and how patients tolerated treatment, while secondary outcomes included postoperative results, quality of life, and survival rates. The risk of bias was assessed using established methodological appraisal tools. Results: Out of 1,258 records, 55 studies were selected. The findings on nutritional therapy showed consistent improvement in weight stabilization, better nutritional assessment scores, and the preservation of lean body mass. There were evidence of fewer interruptions in chemotherapy, better adherence to treatment, and a drop in severe treatment-related side effects. Strong randomized evidence pointed to fewer postoperative infections and complications, while moderate evidence suggested shorter hospital stays and enhanced wound healing. Conclusion: Nutritional therapy offers a range of benefits for cancer care, especially when it comes to enhancing nutritional status, improving treatment tolerance, aiding postoperative recovery, and boosting overall quality of life. There is correlation between nutritional therapy and cancer care improvement that suggests its incorporation in cancer care unit, thereby positively influencing therapeutic care of oncology cases. However, large-scale, standardized randomized trials with longer follow-up periods suggest further studies.