In honor of Malnutrition Awareness Week, the MANNA Institute hosted its 3rd academic seminar titled “Cancer & Malnutrition” in partnership with Fox Chase Cancer Center. On Wednesday, October 13, we were joined by Dr. Rishi Jain, MD, MS, DABOM and Kara Stromberg, MS, RD, CDE, LDN of FCCC to discuss their current research and the latest nutritional guidelines for patients with cancer. Over 50 attendees, including registered dietitians, physicians, researchers, students, and community members, joined the discussion. A recording of the seminar can be viewed here.
Stromberg began by discussing best practices for diagnosing and treating malnutrition in clinical settings and the important role of the registered dietitian throughout the process. Dr. Jain explained research to date showing potential causal pathways for over or undernutrition to lead to various gastrointestinal cancers, as well as the adverse outcomes associated with malnutrition in oncology patients. The presenters then shared details of their upcoming study measuring outcomes of MANNA’s medically tailored meal program for patients undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer. This research project, funded by the MANNA Institute, will assess nutrition parameters and outcomes in preparation for a future clinical trial.
The Academic Seminar Series is a bi-annual presentation on topics relating to in-patient and community-based nutrition care. The discussions highlight current research initiatives as well as future needs and opportunities. The goal of the series is to bring together researchers, clinicians, and healthcare institutions to share ideas and spur future research collaborations with the MANNA Institute.
This month’s seminar also followed ASPEN’s Malnutrition Awareness Week, which was October 4-8. As an official ambassador of Malnutrition Awareness Week, the MANNA Institute was able to offer complimentary access to all MAW webinars, enabling nutrition professionals and community members to get involved in efforts to end malnutrition. We look forward to continuing the conversation during the next academic seminar – Join us in Spring 2022!