Radiation therapy is one of the main treatment methods for malignant tumors, and it can also be used in the treatment of benign diseases or low-grade malignant tumors. WHO statistics show that the current cure rate of cancer is 55%, of which the contribution of radiotherapy is 22%. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that radiotherapy can play a role on its own. About 70% of malignant tumor patients need radiotherapy. Some patients cannot stand the suffering of the disease due to inappetence caused by radiotherapy reaction. To ensure the smooth progress of radiotherapy, we must pay attention to the support of diet.
The diet during radiotherapy should be three good and three high, one should be avoided and one should be increased. The diet should be light, digestible, eat less frequently, and mainly focus on high-calorie, high-protein, high-vitamin foods, and increase the intake of dairy products, beans and soy products, fish, meat, eggs, etc. Protein foods; increase the intake of vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits, such as apples, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, bananas, rapeseed, purple cabbage, etc. Avoid irritating foods, such as cold, hot, sour, pickled, and smoked foods, and increase your water intake.
The most common radiation reactions in patients with head and neck or thoracic tumors are dry mouth, sore throat, esophagitis and other symptoms. At this time, you can eat a cool, non-irritating diet and avoid hard and rough foods. The temperature of the food should not be too hot, the meat should be chopped finely, and the vegetables or fruits can be squeezed into juice if they cannot be swallowed. For severe symptoms, take or swallow a small amount of lidocaine solution before meals, and then eat, the pain will be significantly relieved.
During radiotherapy for abdominal tumors, some patients will experience symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. The diet should be light and less greasy, eat less and more frequently, and add a small amount of ginger juice to the dishes to taste, try to avoid stale or odorous Weird protein foods; when bloating or diarrhea occurs, it is advisable to eat easily digestible, light, and less greasy foods, such as semi-liquid diets or low-residue diets, and avoid foods with high fiber content and sticky, cold foods; when constipation occurs When you are in the throes, you should increase your activity level and eat more fresh vegetables, fruits and other foods rich in cellulose, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, etc.
Urinary frequency, urgency, dysuria, and hematuria are symptoms of radiation cystitis, which often occur during or after radiation therapy for pelvic tumors such as bladder, prostate, cervix, and rectal cancers. At this time, the patient should drink more water, urinate more, and also add appropriate amount of baking soda to alkalize the urine.
Radiation therapy can cause myelosuppression, manifested as leukocyte and thrombocytopenia. During radiotherapy, the diet should pay attention to strengthening nutrition, and eat more chicken, duck, fish, meat, etc. You can choose foods with more iron, such as animal liver, kidney, heart, egg yolk, etc.; vegetables include spinach, tomato, celery, etc.; fruits can choose plums, pineapples, peaches, grapes, red dates, bayberry, oranges, oranges, etc. (Kangjian)