Nutritional Status and Nutritional Support in Pediatric Oncology: Assessment, Challenges, and Clinical Perspectives

Malnutrition, intended as both overnutrition and undernutrition, is a common problem in pediatric oncology, with its prevalence among children and adolescents with cancer being reported to be as high as 75%. Importantly, it has been recognized to impact several health outcomes, such as survival, treatment tolerance, and quality of life. Improving nutritional status therefore represents a key goal in the supportive care of children with cancer. Despite this, there is a lack of a systematic approach to the nutritional evaluation and the management of nutritional needs in pediatric cancer patients.This Research Topic aims to address the key role of nutritional support in the supportive care of children and adolescents with cancer. Our goals focus on further elucidating the relationship between nutritional status and health outcomes in pediatric cancer, including the role of gut microbiota, and on the implementation of strategies to provide adequate nutritional support to children and adolescents with cancer.This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and translational studies including, but not limited to, the following areas:- Mechanisms underlying the impact of malnutrition on treatment efficacy in pediatric cancer patients- Associations between nutritional status and clinical outcomes, including survival, treatment tolerance, and quality of life- Predictive value of specific nutritional indicators for treatment response and clinical outcomes- Development and validation of prognostic models incorporating nutritional biomarkers and indicators- Role of specialized nutritional support, including Foods for Special Medical Purposes and specific nutritional formulations, in improving response to anticancer therapies and/or treatment tolerance- Screening and assessment tools for identifying and monitoring malnutrition in pediatric cancer patients throughout cancer treatment- Mechanisms underlying the impact of the gut microbiota on treatment efficacy and treatment tolerance in pediatric cancer patients- Clinical evidence on the use of gut microbiota-modulating interventions to enhance anticancer treatment efficacy and improve treatment tolerance in pediatric cancer patients. Topic editors: Francesco Fabozzi, Edoardo Muratore, Chiara Maria Trovato, Pio Stellato Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85917/nutritional-status-and-nutritional-support-in-pediatric-oncology-assessment-challenges-and-clinical-perspectives