DISCUSSION
Several aspects of nutritional support, all of them important in the care of cancer
patients, were dealt with in the present dissertation. The impact of weight loss on QoL,
survival and response to treatment was explored; a questionnaire for the assessment of
nutritional status was translated and evaluated; and the effects on weight development
of dietary advice and support of patients and families by a dietician were studied. An
extensive educational program was carried out, including doctors, nurses and assistant
nurses at the hospital and in home care. In a pilot study, possible effects on cachexia
by two anti-cachectic drugs in addition to dietary advice were explored.