Hand dropping pills into an elderly person's hand

Mary Butler and EPC Conduct Review on Nutrition Interventions for Cancer Patients

1 minute

CLHSS Evidence Synthesis (ES) Unit co-Lead Mary Butler, PhD, who also co-Directs the MN Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC), coordinated a systematic literature review by the EPC on the effects of improved nutrition on cancer treatment outcomes.

The effects of cancer and cancer treatment can cause malnutrition, which in turn can lead to worse outcomes. The majority of cancer patients at risk for malnutrition do not receive interventions to improve their nutrition.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the US Department of Health and Human Services funded Dr. Butler and her team, co-led by Helen Parsons, PhD, to conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on nutrition interventions for cancer patients.

Because of the variation between RCTs and lack of quality evidence, the researchers were not able to make any conclusions about the effects of nutrition interventions. However, they came up with ideas for improving research on this topic, including:

  • Make a conceptual framework on how nutrition interventions are expected to improve cancer patients’ outcomes
  • Adhere to data reporting standards so that there is not missing information on patients
  • Clearly define what the outcomes are

A full report of the study can be found here.

Dr. Butler and the MN-EPC frequently conduct reviews as part of their collaboration with the ES Unit.