The Impact of a Home Delivered Meal Service in Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy

Cancer patients receiving treatment such as chemotherapy experience a variety of symptoms that interfere with their appetite and their ability to eat and enjoy meals. Several studies suggest that nutritional intake increases when the patient is satisfied about the quality of the meals. Therefore, adapting meals in a way that responds to these symptoms might be a good strategy to improve patient satisfaction, nutritional status and hence, quality of life. In this vein, the investigators hypothesize that meals from FoodforCare at Home will contribute to the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy when compared to usual care. Also, the investigators expect that this strategy will have a positive effect on patient satisfaction, other nutrition-related issues, including nausea and vomiting, on nutritional intake per se and hence, on the nutritional status. Additional benefits might include reduced use of medication, especially anti-emetics.

Inclusion criteria

• age 18 years or older
• diagnosed with cancer
• receiving chemotherapy according to a minimum schedule of every 2 weeks
• living within a 40 km radius around the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre
• written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• renal insufficiency (MDRD-GFR (glomerular filtration rate) < 60ml/min and/or proteinuria)*
• dementia or any other condition which makes it impossible to fill out questionnaires correctly
• unable to understand or speak Dutch
• depending on artificial nutrition in the form of Oral Nutritional Supplements, tube feeding or total parenteral nutrition
• swallowing or passage problems

• proteinuria is defined in case of a protein creatinine ratio > 0.5g/10mmol or an albuminuria > 300mg/day. This is checked by default before the start of chemotherapy by the treating physician to decide whether or not the patient is eligible for receiving chemotherapy.