Teenagers and young adults with cancer are at high risk of becoming undernourished during treatment and obese once they recover, says a specialist.
Cancer treatment also disrupts their social life, studies and work to such an extent that many survivors struggle to re-integrate with society, says Dr Michael Osborn, who specialises in young cancer patients.
He and dietician Natalie VanderHaak conducted a study among young cancer patients in South Australia, finding fewer than half see a dietician during treatment and only seven per cent see one afterwards.
About 1000 Australians aged 15 to 25 are diagnosed with cancer each year and more than 80 per cent are cured, says Dr Osborn, a speaker at a Sydney symposium hosted by the CanTeen charity.
"Long-term survival means it is important to look at nutrition, physical activity and psychological health during and after treatment.
"Their needs are different from children or older adults."
Treatment can disrupt a young person's life at a crucial time, and many find it difficult to slot back in with their peers, work or education, he says.
"It is important to find ways to make their survival easier. That's where cancer youth services come in," says Dr Osborn, whose study shows around 40 per cent of young people with cancer have significant weight loss during their treatment.
The study also shows a disproportionate number of survivors become overweight or obese after treatment.
Young patients with leukaemia, bone cancers and cancers of the head and neck are most at risk of weight loss and should be referred to a dietician soon after diagnosis, he says.
Survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia are most at risk of putting on weight.
"One of the good things from our study is that we are able to say which patients should be looked at pre-emptively.
"At present, the trend is to wait until a problem develops before intervening," he says.
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