THE IMPORTANCE OF MALNUTRITION SCREENING IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER

Dr Michael D. Bastasch is the medical director and a radiation oncologist at the University of Texas Health/East Texas Cancer Institute in Athens, Texas, US. He received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kansas, US. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr Bastasch provides oversight and management for radiation oncology services in the treatment of approximately 170 adult patients each year. He practices community-based patient care for a large diverse population of patients, including pediatric, adult, geriatric, and mentally ill patients, and is results and outcome oriented. Dr Bastasch initiated the high dose rate program for gynecologic, breast, and prone breast technique. He has authored/coauthored many articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.

Ms Suzanne Dixon, a registered dietitian and epidemiologist, is best known as the creator of an award-winning cancer nutrition website, which was acclaimed by the New York Times and Time magazine. She has delivered more than 200 invited and submission-accepted lectures to patient and professional groups and has received numerous awards from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for her work. She is a Past Chair of the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group and formerly managed the Outpatient Oncology Nutrition and HIV Nutrition Care Programs at the University of Michigan Health System. Suzanne has served as an appointed member to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the ASCO Obesity and Energy Balance Work Group, the ASCO Cachexia and Nutrition Guidelines Development Group and the Institute of Medicine workshop on Assessing Nutrition Care in Outpatient Oncology. She is currently a Research Consulting Lead with Humana in Portland, Oregon.

Dr Alessandro Laviano is an associate professor of internal medicine in the Department of Translational and Precision Medicine at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. He received his medical degree from the Sapienza University of Rome. Dr Laviano completed a fellowship in nutrition and metabolism at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse. His specific interests include regulation of eating behavior in health and disease; disease-associated anorexia-cachexia; metabolic derangements during disease, particularly in cancer; hyperphagia and obesity; hospital-related malnutrition; clinical consequences of malnutrition; and artificial nutrition. Dr Laviano has authored/coauthored more than 220 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, more than 50 book chapters, and more than 200 abstracts presented at national and international conferences.

Dr Şuayib Yalçın is a professor in the Department of Medical Oncology at the Hacettepe University Cancer Institute in Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey. He received his medical degree from the Hacettepe University School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine there as well. Dr Yalçın’s primary research interests are gastrointestinal oncology, including neuroendocrine tumors and gastrointestinal stromal tumors; supportive care, including pain, nutrition, and emesis. He has participated in many international multicenter clinical trials resulting in practice changes in oncology diagnosis and management. He has authored/coauthored more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is the editor of Textbook of Gastrointestinal Oncology and also the editor of Neuroendocrine Tumours: Diagnosis and Management which is being prepared for the second edition.