Nutritional aspects of elderly cancer patients.

Lack of studies on the evaluation of nutritional aspects of the elderly affected by cancer does not allow a direct analysis of the problem. The single factors can be summarised in the following way: a) the aging process determines variations in body composition causing a reduction in organ and apparatus functionality; thus limiting adaptation to increased work load; b) the aging process favours the development of nutritional deficit in elderly subjects without cancer; c) nutritional support is effective in improving the clinical course of elderly malnourished patients affected by benign disease; d) the presence of cancer is frequently associated with malnutrition caused by local and systemic factors which depend on the tumor as well as on anti-cancer therapy; e) the frequency of cancer malnutrition varies with the type and stage of the tumor; f) the frequency and degree of malnutrition due to radiotherapy correlates with the site and size of the irradiated area and dose of radiation, but not with the age of the patient; g) artificial nutrition is effective in preventing or treating cancer malnutrition, can allow cycles of radiotherapy or chemotherapy to be completed or carried out and reduce the risk of postoperative complications in severely malnourished patients but does not seem to limit the toxicity of radiation or chemotherapy or to improve the patient's survival.