The annual ESPEN-ONCA-MNI Joint Session gathered experts to discuss ways to deliver better nutritional care to patients.
This year’s session entitled “Delivering Optimal Nutritional Care for All throughout the Cancer Journey: What Will It Take?” was held online on Monday, 13 September as part of the ESPEN Virtual Congress 2021.
- With over 2.7 million new cancer cases diagnosed each year in Europe, how can we ensure access to early nutritional care for all, rather than the lucky few?
- Malnutrition remains the single most common complication in cancer, yet many gaps and barriers remain that cause patients to suffer avoidable complications and poorer than anticipated outcomes.
- ESPEN has already produced practical clinical guidelines on how to deliver nutritional care, but what more is needed to make it happen in practice?
How can the nutrition community coordinate its efforts to advance nutritional care as a standard component of high-quality cancer care?
This Joint Policy Seminar reviewed the latest evidence regarding:
- the impact of nutritional issues in cancer;
- the barriers that patients face in accessing nutritional care across Europe;
- what must now be done at European and country level to implement a fully integrated model of nutritional care in cancer, from diagnosis through the disease trajectory.
On the round table discussion, the panel of international experts gave their insights and recommendations regarding the changes in policy and everyday practice needed to ensure that patients with cancer get the appropriate nutritional care.
A key moment was the launch of a ‘Joint Call to Action’ that policy makers, clinical oncology leaders and care providers must take if a practical model for integrated nutrition care in cancer is to be realised.
The session concluded with the announcement of the 2021 MNI Grant winner.
Watch the Joint Policy Seminar videos
Download the 7 Recommendations for the Implementation of ONCA
Download the Joint Policy Seminar Press Release
About the organisers:
ESPEN – the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism – aims at the dissemination of knowledge and its application in the field of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition or, more broadly, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. It promotes experimental and clinical research, fosters high-ethical standards of practice and investigation, and promotes contact between investigators and clinicians in related fields.
ONCA – the Optimal Nutritional Care for All (ONCA) campaign – is a multi-stakeholder initiative, launched in 2014, to facilitate greater screening for risk of disease-related malnutrition/undernutrition and nutritional care implementation across Europe.
MNI – the Medical Nutrition International Industry – is the voice of the medical nutrition industry at international level. MNI is dedicated to advancing better care through better nutrition, across all ages and healthcare settings.
