Grant received in 2021

DCCC has funded 191.850 DKKK to the project

Approx. 70% of patients with prostate and rectal cancer who receive radiation therapy (RT) experience acute radiation-induced diarrhea (RID). RID has major impact on patients’ quality of life, can lead to pause or early termination of RT and chronic diarrhea. In a study with 8 of the Danish radiation therapy centers through our DCCC research network NARNUCA, we found, that patients with RID receive divergent and contradictory dietary advices. RID is poorly described with few details of type and severity of RID in clinical practice and in the literature. The evidence for nutritional intervention in RID is low. We are conducting a systematic review to uncover the literature's evidence on nutritional interventions in RID. In patients who receive radiation for prostate and rectal cancer we plan to conduct two national studies to 1) uncover the frequency and characteristics of RID; 2) to assess the effect of nutritional intervention. The aim is to improve RID during RT.

Multidisciplinary organisation

DCCCs National Research Network on Nutrition in Cancer (NARNUCA).

Project stakeholders

Rigshospitalet:

• Specialty registrar Christiane Ehlers Mortensen, Department of Radiotherapy, Oncology

Zealand University Hospital, Næstved:

• Consultant, medical manager, Kenneth Hofland

Hospital Lillebælt, Vejle 

• Head consultant Lars-Henrik Jensen, Department of Oncology
• Specialty registrar Birgitte Havelund, Department of Oncology
• Christiane Vestergaard Madseln, Department of Oncology

Herlev Hospital:

• Consultant Jakob Schou

Aalborg University Hospital

• Laurids Ø. Poulsen, Clinical Associate Professor, Specialty Registrar, Department of Oncology
• Ursula Falkmer, Professor, Consultant, Department of Oncology
• Randi Tobberup, Head dietitian, Department of Gastroenterology. Primary contact, Mail: r.tobberup@rn.dk
• Mette O. Holm, PhD student, Department of Gastroenterology
• Henrik H. Rasmussen, Professor, Consultant, Department of Gastroenterology
• Charlotte Lauridsen, professor of experimental nutrition, Department of Gastroenterology

A Nordic collaboration has also been made with:

• Asta Bye, Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, OsloMet, Oslo Metropolitan University, Regional Advisory Unit for Palliative Care, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital
• Rebecca Ahlin, Sahlgrenska Universitetssygehus, Göteborg, Sweden.
• Gunnar Steineck, Sahlgrenska Universitetssygehus, Göteborg, Sweden.