Anorexia-caquexia, nutrição e qualidade de vida no doente com cancro em cuidados paliativos

The diagnosis and prognosis of cancer determine and guide the care plan in terms of nutritional status in palliative care. Given the prevalence of cancer in Portugal, which is at the origin of 20 to 25% of a total of 60% of the deaths resulting from chronic progressive disease, reference should be made in case of malnutrition in patients with cancer in palliative care. Although the available data is in short supply, we can say that statistically, the incidence is between 30% and 50% of the cases. 40% to 80% of cancer patients evaluated nutritionally for weight loss, have malnutrition, exacerbated in cancer of the digestive tract and head and neck carcinoma. Despite the reduced-date information on this subject in Portugal, this theoretical article is also reflexive and supports it’s exhibition in a revision of the literature of different nature, in areas such as nutrition, nursing, social work and medicine, published between 2005 and 2014 as well as in the analysis and observation in the field of praxis. This article sets out the following objectives: (1) To highlight the challenges faced in nutrition in palliative care by the health teams; (2) To propose a systemic, though personalized and multidisciplinary, approach to the sick person and is family; (3) To suggest reflexive practices which transpose merely biomedical models, for an ethical practice and contribute to the humanization of care and respond to the challenges of health management. Then, we may conclude that if nurture in oncology is an act of caring, it shall not be established without space for any necessary debate based on ethical principles. A properly defined nutrition should respond objectively to a universe of multiplicity of stages and complex cultural storylines, highly valued in the social sciences. The ethical dimensions of care processes require relational processes and moral commitments of protection, of dignity and humanization of provision of hospital care and home care.