PATIENT AND CARER INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Good nutrition is important at all times of your life, but it is especially important in the context of cancer.

Following a healthy, well balanced diet as part of a healthy lifestyle can help prevent a cancer diagnosis.

If you have a cancer diagnosis, then the nutrition needs of your body are increased due to the cancer itself, as well as the treatment. Good nutrition during treatment and in the recovery period is focused on having adequate protein and energy so that you can maintain your weight, your strength and help to minimise side effects and speed up recovery. Once you have recovered from any treatment, the focus of good nutrition shifts back to following a healthy, well balanced diet and lifestyle.

There are many high quality resources available to help guide your nutrition needs at these different time points.

The Victorian Cancer Malnutrition Collaborative (VCMC)

The CanEAT pathway for people with cancer and their carers:
  • Access The CanEAT pathway
The CanEAT pathway and MST infographic for people with cancer and their carers:
  • Access the
    infographic
The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST):
  • Access the MST in English and 10 other languages
Preventing weight loss for people with cancer resource:
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – English
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Arabic
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Greek
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Spanish
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Croatian
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Italian
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Macedonian
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Turkish
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Vietnamese
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Traditional Chinese (Cantonese)
  • Preventing weight loss for people with cancer – Simplified Chinese (Mandarin)

Peter Mac Nutrition and Speech Pathology Department

  • Nourishing diet
  • Vegetarian nourishing diet
  • Bringing food from home
  • Good nutrition in the chemotherapy day unit

Cancer Council Victoria

  • Healthy eating to reduce cancer risk
  • Following a healthy lifestyle: hints and tips
  • Nutrition and Cancer: A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends
  • Nutrition and exercise webinars

Other key resources

  • iheard website – evidence based information about cancer claims

Tumour specific resources

Pancreatic cancer

  • Pancare Foundation
    • Dietary handbook: Managing dietary symptoms for people with pancreatic cancer
  • WCMICS
    • Empowerment through support: strength through nutrition

Neuroendocrine tumours

  • Unicorn Foundation
    • Nutrition and Neuroendocrine Tumours

Head & Neck cancers

  • Beyond Five: The Face of Head & Neck Cancer
    • Beyond the Blender: Dysphagia made easy

Enteral feeding and dysphagia 

  • EviQ Education
    • Videos on enteral feeding, laryngectomy care, and how to thicken fluids
NUTRITION AND DIETETICS