Nutrition and head and neck cancer.

The role of nutrition in patients with head and neck cancer, specifically squamous cell carcinoma, is underappreciated. The composition of the diet can contribute to carcinogenesis, and specific nutrients may offer some protection in the presence of known carcinogens (ie, tobacco). Patients with head and neck cancer are frequently malnourished, which may have prognostic implications for the morbidity and outcome of therapies. Although the benefits of preoperative nutritional supplementation have been demonstrated only in severely malnourished patients, the use of immune-enhancing formulas may prove to be beneficial. Special consideration should be given to the nutritional needs and possible interactions of diet and therapy in patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy. Physicians should be cognizant of the widespread use of alternative diets and nutritional supplements that can be harmful and may interact with standard treatments. New knowledge regarding the role of nutrition in cancer offers hope for the nutritional chemoprevention of head and neck cancers.