Nutrition and cancer.

Over 1,500 patients at our institution have received intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) as nutritional support for nutritional rehabilitation prior to and/or during oncologic therapy. Stimulation of tumor growth has not been identified, and septic and metabolic complications of this technique have been minimal. Nutritional repletion resulted in return of immunocompetence and was associated with a reduction in sepsis, proper wound healing, and an apparent increase in tumor response to chemotherapy. If these observations were related as cause and effect, then a method of restoring and maintaining adequate nutrition should be added to the armamentarium of the oncologist. The use of IVh allowed specific oncologic therapy to be administered to a group of malnourished patients who otherwise might not have been acceptable candidates for intensive antineoplastic therapy.