• 12/3/2007
  • Charlottesville, VA
  • Cheryn Stone
  • 19News (www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv)

A program through the UVa Cancer Center is saving patients money and making a big difference in their health.

Doctors are giving away free nutritional supplements to patients. Doctors say this can really decrease weight loss, and it’s getting patients the calories that are critical to their health.

Through surgeries, radiation, and chemo, weight loss can be a big problem for patients fighting cancer.

Dr. Paul Read with UVa Radiation Oncology says, “there’s a lot of quality of life data that says if cancer patients lose weight that’s a very good sign that a they are not going to feel well, they’re not going to feel fit, and they may not be able to tolerate these treatments we put them through.”

Nutritional supplements can help the patients get through it.

Dr. Read adds, “there’s also data that suggest that if patients don’t lose weight and they can get through their treatments as we initially prescribe them, we’ll have a better chance of curing them.”

So now doctors at the UVa Cancer keep cases of Ensure on hand to hand out to patients.

“We saw a real need to help many of our patients who are having nutritional problems get through their treatments by supplying them with nutrition in our clinic,” Dr. Read says.

Three years and 2,500 cases of Ensure later, UVa doctors have given out 21 million calories so far.

Doctors say sometimes drinks like these are all patients can drink for their nutrition, so access to these calories is crucial throughout their treatment.

The program started with head and neck cancer patients, but now it has grown to help those fighting other cancers too.

UVa doctors have given 1,200 cases of Ensure this year alone.

Dr. Read says he would like to see a program like this spread to other cancer centers across the country.