Managing Nutrition for Cancer Patients during COVID-19: Review

Abstract

Global public health bodies have ignited new policies on various handwashing and hygiene guidelines, social distancing strategies and have adopted “stay in place” or lockdown protocols to prevent COVID-19 from spread in many countries. Those measures will have longlasting impacts on well-being of all groups affected by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID- 19), but the underrepresented minorities and immunocompromised are at the greater risk and has a significant mortality rate. In the present study, we try to review current data about nutrition management of cancer patients within this pandemic, and nutritional prevention’s tools, in order to understand the outcomes of infected cancer patients, and avoid complications that can be associated with nutritional deficiencies. Most of the data were divided into four important sections. The managing deal of cancer patients and their treatments with COVID-19, landmarks of nutrition care, specially through pandemic conditions, nutrients and micronutrients that have key roles in supporting the human immune system, and reducing systemic inflammation. The immune response to infection involves many factors (such chemokines, cytokines, interleukins, enzymes and hormones) therefore, we believe that the identification of food groups that play a role in COVID-19 and the improvement of nutritional status and diet for cancer patients is a necessary approach, in order to have detailed guidelines for the actual challenge.