nutrition Archives

The Art and Science of Keeping Infants with Cancer Well-Nourished

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Jamie Irvine

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Laura Collins Presentation Description:
Cancer and its therapy can negatively affect nutritional status due to limited intake, increased metabolic needs and poor absorption. Malnutrition has been shown to decrease tolerance to therapy, impair wound healing, decrease quality of life and increase length of stay. Malnutrition in infants and young children is particularly concerning due to periods of rapid growth and limited body reserves. Baseline nutrition assessment, proactive nutrition support and monitoring to improve nutritional status is an essential adjunct to cancer therapy in this patient population. This workshop will review the importance of a multi-disciplinary team, assessment, nutrition interventions and monitoring of an infant with cancer to promote normal growth and development.

Speakers:
Laura Collins, RD
Registered Dietitian in Pediatric Oncology
McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, ON

Laura Collins graduated with concurrent degrees from the University of Western Ontario with a BSc Human Nutrition and a BA Kinesiology. She successfully completed her dietetic internship at the Hamilton Health Sciences Centre in 2000 and accepted a full-time position in pediatric oncology where she continues to practice as a clinical registered dietitian in the acute care setting. She has a particular interest in nutritional assessment, proactive enteral nutrition and anthropometric measures, resulting in several publications, posters and lectures over the past 17 years. Her most recent publication in 2017 was on anthropometry in long-term survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Laura has been involved in several COG- and POGO-nutrition related initiatives since 2003, including proactive enteral feeding lectures, CAM investigations and enteral nutrition guideline development. Laura also provides education about the importance of optimizing nutrition during and after cancer therapy to learners, including dietetic interns and medical trainees.

Deborah L. O’Connor, PhD, RD
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Senior Associate Scientist
Translation Medicine Program, Research Institute
The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
Scientific Associate Staff, Department of Pediatrics
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON

Dr. Deborah O’Connor (PhD, RD) is a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto where she holds a Chair in Vitamin Research in Human Milk and Development. She also holds scientific appointments at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. O’Connor served as the Director of Clinical Dietetics and Breastfeeding Support at SickKids from 2000 to 2012 and then as associate chief of academic and professional practice until 2013. Dr. O’Connor’s research career has focused on maternal and infant nutrition and she has published extensively in the area of the nutritional requirements of pregnant and lactating women, children, and strategies to support the provision of human milk to vulnerable infants. Dr. O’Connor has received numerous awards including the 2015 Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award for best application of research to clinical practice from the Canadian Nutrition Society. She currently serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee for the Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Donor Milk Bank, and was co-chair of the Canadian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Nutrition Working Group that recently published their first national female nutrition practice guidelines.

Assessment and Management of Weight Loss in On-Therapy Patients

Posted on June 26, 2015 by admin

Presentation Description:
Weight loss is a common side-effect of cancer and its treatment. This session discussed different assessment methods used to determine when and how to intervene to achieve weight gain and growth in the pediatric cancer patient. Options for providing nutrition support were discussed as well as the potential consequences of continued weight loss in this patient population.

Speakers:
Mary A. Barron, MSc, RD
Clinical Dietitian, Department of Haematology/Oncology
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Charmaine van Schaik, BSc, MSc, MD, FRCPC
Chief of Pediatrics; Medical Director, POGO Satellite Clinic
Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket, ON
Lecturer, University of Toronto, Dept. of Pediatrics, Toronto, ON

Dr. Paul Rogers: The Role of Nutrition in Childhood Cancer

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Kelly Zorzi

Dr. Paul Rogers explains that malnourishment can in fact result from receiving very high dose chemotherapy, and, as a consequence, medical teams need to be more proactive in supporting children’s dietary needs. He suggests that weight, though it’s the most common measure, isn’t a sufficient indicator on its own. Dr. Rogers points out that while nutritional supports can diminish the effects of chemotherapy and help a child maintain their health while in treatment, he is clear that research is still needed to determine the overall impact on disease.

Dr. Paul Rogers is a pediatric oncologist at BC Children’s Hospital and Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia. He presented “The Role of Nutrition in Pediatric Oncology” at the 2013 POGO Symposium on Childhood Cancer, an annual education event to help health care professionals remain up-to-date in the rapidly advancing field of pediatric oncology.

Straight Talk about Childhood Cancer is POGO’s new series of video shorts featuring the insights of experts whose leading-edge work impacts the care, treatment and quality of life of childhood cancer patients, survivors and their families.

Workshop B – Complementary Medicine in Pediatric Oncology

Posted on March 4, 2014 by admin

Presentation Description:
Complementary medicine (e.g., vitamins, herbal medicines, acupuncture and massage) are used by the majority of Canadians, especially those diagnosed with serious or life threatening conditions. This workshop consisted of three 15-minute presentations: 1) thinking about nutrition using a cancer control prism; 2) update on the regulation of complementary practitioners and products and how that may impact collaboration with or advice about complementary medicine; and 3) a shared decision-making model for supporting patients/families in making safe and informed decisions related to complementary medicine. The second half of the workshop involved an interactive discussion of clinically relevant issues highlighted in several case studies.

Speakers:
Paul Rogers, MBChB, FRCPC, FRCP(Lond) MBA
Pediatric Oncologist, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver
Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD
Professor and Interim Dean
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

Lynda Balneaves, RN, PhD
Acting Associate Director, Research
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Thinking Outside the Scale – Reality Based Weight Management

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin

Presentation Description: If weight loss were as simple as ELMM (Eat Less, Move More) street, the world would be skinny. Unfortunately, it is the nightmare on ELMM street belief, the belief that weight loss is about individual willpower that fuels societal attitudes towards obesity and weight management. While these attitudes may hold reality television contestants in good standing, in actual reality settings, they tend to lead to frustration, struggle, suffering and ultimately, defeat. Given the relationship between adult obesity and various forms of cancer, and given the fact that 75% of obese adolescents will continue to be obese adults, clearly, ensuring we do our utmost to help manage the weights of our young patients with cancer is crucial. So, do you treat the parents, the child, or both? Is it about one particular style of eating? What’s more important, exercise or food? What’s a realistic goal? How do you counsel without risking body image or food relationship issues? This presentation explored the answers to these questions and more.

Speaker:

Yoni Freedhoff, MD, CCFP, Dip ABBM
Founder and Medical Director
Bariatric Medical Institute
Assistant Professor, Family Medicine
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

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