Nutrition during and after cancer therapy.

Diet and nutritional factors play a large role in influencing both the quality and quantity of life after the diagnosis of cancer. The oncology nurse is well-positioned to: 1) help ensure that nutritional needs are met for patients who are newly diagnosed, undergoing active treatment, or have advanced disease; 2) facilitate referral of patients with more intensive nutritional needs to registered dietitians; and 3) promote the importance of weight management and a healthful plant-based diet, low in saturated fat and simple sugars, and high in fruits and vegetables and unrefined whole grains, to patients likely to join the ranks of an ever-expanding population of cancer survivors--who now constitute roughly 4% of the US population and number more than 11 million.