Sami Mansfield: How Is Your Team Supporting Patients in Improving Diet Quality During Treatment?
Sami Mansfield, Founder of Cancer Wellness for Life, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“It’s time to move past the ‘eat whatever you want’ during cancer treatment—your nutrition matters.’
For clinicians working in oncology, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most debilitating and frustrating complications of colon cancer treatment.
- Up to 85% of patients receiving oxaliplatin experience CIPN as early as the first cycle.
- Symptoms like burning, tingling, and numbness can persist long after treatment ends.
- In many cases, CIPN becomes dose-limiting—requiring treatment modifications that compromise long-term outcomes.
But what if there were a low-cost, evidence-informed strategy to reduce this risk?
New research funded by the American Cancer Society and led by Stephanie Compton, PhD, RD, LDN, points to an often-overlooked factor: overall dietary quality.
In a study of 132 colon cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemo, dietary patterns were assessed using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010) and tracked against the development and severity of CIPN symptoms over time.
Key findings:
- A higher-quality diet—rich in vegetables and plant-predominant foods—was linked to a lower risk of moderate-to-severe CIPN
- A diet higher in red/processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with higher risk
Why this matters:
It reinforces the connection between metabolic health, inflammation, and treatment side effects. It shifts the focus from single-nutrient fixes to whole-diet patterns. It supports the need for early lifestyle interventions as part of routine oncology care
It also aligns with our work in the Cancer Member Interest Group (MIG) at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, where we’ve expanded the ‘reducing risky substances’ pillar to include sugar-sweetened beverages—because the data supports it.
Practical takeaways for clinicians:
- Reframe nutrition as part of treatment tolerance, not just survivorship
- Empower patients to make manageable, diet shifts—before side effects escalate
- Collaborate with RDs and health coaches for proactive care plans
- Recognize nutrition as a powerful tool to support dose intensity and quality of life
This National Wellness Month, let’s treat lifestyle not as extra—but essential.
How is your team supporting patients in improving diet quality during treatment? I’d love to hear what’s working in your practice.”
More posts featuring Sami Mansfield.
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
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