The University Cancer Center recently celebrated a milestone in a program aimed to reduce weight loss and improve the quality of life of cancer patients.
In the past three years, the program has given about 2,500 cases of free nutritional supplement drinks to radiation oncology patients and achieved success in improved patient care.
Radiation Oncology Assoc. Prof. Paul Read, who started the program, said it grew from giving away 400 cases of nutritional supplement drinks per year to 1,200 to 1,400 cases.
The program has "helped hundreds of people," Read said.
University Cancer Center Manager Diane Cole said the program helps relieve patients of the already substantial financial burden of cancer treatment. She said an average case of nutritional supplement drinks costs $35.
"It's a huge burden on [patients] to pay for one more expensive thing," Cole said.
While the program recently expanded to be available to all cancer patients, Read said a majority of patients who benefit suffer from some type of head and neck cancer. These cancer patients tend to have the most problems with weight loss because treatment can often result in difficulty swallowing.
"We wanted to make it convenient and easy for them to get nutrition," Read said.
Through the nutritional supplement drinks, patients lose 40 percent less weight and the need to use feeding tubes is reduced, Read said.
Cancer Center Social Worker Vikki Bravo said good nutrition is an essential component of treatment and added that the program has improved patients' access to nutrition and quality of life.
"It's been a tremendous help because there are a lot of people who can't afford the supplements and they can't eat anything else," Bravo said.
The majority of funding for the program comes from philanthropic funds in the Cancer Center's budget, Read said. Additional funds come from patients, a University hospital auxiliary grant, staff member donations and the undergraduate organization Fighting, Overcoming, and Responding to Cancer Everywhere.
Read said the program might eventually extend to directly supply the free nutritional supplements at the Alex Sawyer Houses, local hospitality housing where some University Health System patients are able to live during their treatment.
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