Patient Support

Makayla Konop, RD, clinical dietitian, explains how head and neck cancer patients can have nutrition issues.

Head and neck cancer patients face a lot of different nutrition issues based on their cancer type and their treatment. The location of your cancer can cause mechanical difficulties which can harm your ability to chew and swallow your food. During treatment, you may have pain or discomfort with swallowing. This can also impact your nutrition plan for head and neck cancer.

Whether it's one or both of these issues, there is a high risk for nutritional deficiency, and that is what our team monitors very closely throughout your cancer journey.

Makayla Konop, RD, clinical dietitian, describes how personalized interventions are built into each head and neck cancer patient's care plan.

We make sure that every head and neck cancer patient gets the best possible nutrition, and we start by doing this with a pre-screening every time you come into clinic. That allows us to see what type of nutritional risk is possible. Based on that, we develop personalized interventions that we implement directly in your care plan.

For example, somebody with throat cancer can have a lot of nutrition concerns — one of which being what you can and cannot eat based on the side effects and symptoms of your treatment. We work with them on what specific foods are appropriate for them and then that implements right into their care plan.

Makayla Konop, RD, clinical dietitian, explains how the team creates personalized meal and nutrition plans for head and neck cancer patients.

We try to make the meal plan and the nutrition plan very patient-centered and very personalized to your current lifestyle. We like to meet you and make sure that anything we recommend is something you can sustain in your lifestyle.

Makayla Konop, RD, clinical dietitian, talks about the most common questions she gets from head and neck cancer patients.

The big question is "Is there anything I can't have, that I absolutely have to avoid in my diet?"

We do our best to keep your diet as liberal as possible with as many of the things that you like to eat in your diet. We avoid limiting your diet unless it's absolutely necessary.

Makayla Konop, RD, clinical dietitian, explains how the nutrition team collaborates with the rest of the head and neck cancer care team.

Our nutrition team is in constant collaboration with all other members of the care team. That allows us to anticipate some of the upcoming challenges and focus on real-time changes to the nutrition plan to provide you with the most consistent and thorough care.

Knowing that the head and neck cancer population is at higher risk for nutritional deficiencies, our team is ready to help you through any of those obstacles that come along.

Lindsey Nye, MS, CCC, SLP, speech language pathologist, explains how long a feeding tube is used for head and neck cancer patients.

Typically, if you need a feeding tube, you will have it for as long as you need it. For a lot of people, this is just for the extent of treatment. As soon as treatment is done and they're feeling better, we can get them back to swallowing again. Then the tube can come out.

For others, if they feel like it's needed, it can stay in longer and for as long as they need it.

Lindsey Nye, MS, CCC, SLP, speech language pathologist, describes when a feeding tube may be needed for a head and neck cancer patient during and after treatment.

A speech therapist can help determine if somebody needs a feeding tube, and it's typically something that we use as a little extra help. It is usually used when somebody is unable to get enough nutrition by eating. Swallowing has become more challenging, more difficult, and they feel like they cannot eat enough.

We work with our patients to make sure that they never stop eating throughout the treatment process. We want them to keep swallowing, and a feeding tube would only be used in addition to what they are able to eat by mouth.

Not every head and neck cancer patient will need a feeding tube. Typically, only a very small percentage of people that go through treatment will end up getting one. It is more common with surgery, but it is something that is usually decided between the entire team and the patient when they feel like it is necessary to help them to get proper nutrition throughout their treatment.

If it is decided to get a feeding tube, the person that receives that feeding tube will have it for as long as they need it. For a lot of people, this is just for the extent of treatment. As soon as treatment is done and they are feeling better, we can get them back to swallowing again that tube can come out. For others, if they feel like it is needed, it can stay in longer and for as long as they need.