The nutrition problem in head and neck cancer.

The nutritional status of the patient with cancer of the head and neck is subject to multiple stress. The nutritional status of such a patient is an admixture of the patient's personal hygiene, his or her neoplasm, the treatment of his or her neoplasm, and the complications of such treatment. It has been suggested the restoration of positive nitrogen balance through aggressive nutritional hyperalimentation will restore immunocompetence, enhance the clinical response to treatment, and reduce the frequency of complications. Despite this anecdotal data, controlled studies are needed to show that significant benefit to the patient will justify the added costs of nutritional support in terms of manpower costs, additional days of hospitalization, and increased monies spent on elemental diets.