Assessing the nutritional needs of men with prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Nutrition is important for prostate cancer (PC) survivorship care to help achieve a healthy weight, reduce treatment side effects and reduce the risk of developing other chronic diseases. We aimed to advance the understanding of the nutritional needs of men with PC and services that could be potentially implemented to address them. METHODS: We conducted a needs assessment of nutrition services for men with PC drawing on four perspectives; 1) patient evaluation of a nutrition education session in British Columbia (BC), 2) survey of BC health professionals, 3) an environmental scan of existing nutrition services across Canada and 4) a scoping literature review. RESULTS: Patients expressed a need for more nutrition information and a desire for additional nutrition services. More than 60% of health professionals believed there is a need for more nutrition services for men with PC, and reported the focus should be on weight management or management of PC progression. The environmental scan revealed few existing services for men with PC across Canada, most were inclusive of multiple cancers and not tailored for men with PC. Eighteen completed studies were identified in the scoping literature review. The majority provided combined diet and exercise programs with various formats of delivery such as individual, group and home-based. Overall, 78% of studies reported improvements in one or more of the following measures: dietary intake/ diet quality, body composition, self-efficacy, quality of life, fatigue, practicing health behavior goals and physical function/ exercise. Four studies assessed feasibility, adherence or satisfaction with all reporting positive findings. CONCLUSION: Despite the high prevalence of PC in Canada, and the perceived need for more support by patients and health professionals, there are limited nutrition services for men with PC. Evidence from the literature suggests nutrition services are effective and well-accepted by men with PC. Our findings define a need for standardized nutrition services for men with PC that assess and meet long term nutritional needs. Our findings also provide insight into the type and delivery of nutrition services that may help close the gap in care for men with PC.