Dietitian offers weight management course for cancer survivors

Many people, when they find out they have cancer, promise themselves they’ll do whatever it takes to beat it. Once the last round of therapy is over, the time is right to make good on that promise by committing to a healthier lifestyle, says Rachel Rodek, an outpatient oncology dietitian at the Health Center’s Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Nutrition and weight loss are very important for survivorship,” Rodek says.

“To help prevent a recurrence, or development of other cancers, weight loss has been shown to be a key factor. This is especially true for hormone-based cancers, such as prostate and breast. With these, the patients receive therapies that typically result in weight gain, and these extra pounds cause increases in circulating hormones, which increase the risk of recurrence. So getting that weight off is really important.”

This fall, Rodek introduced a five-week “Weight Management for Survivorship” course, and her first class of five students “graduated” Oct. 31.

“We’re eating healthy, and it’s preventing disease,” says one of the participants. “Rachel gave us a way to find optimal health for ourselves. I wish I knew this as a young person.”

Rodek says she designed the course with cancer survivors who’ve completed therapy in mind.

“We really don’t want patients to start losing weight while they’re still receiving either radiation or chemotherapy,” she says.

“A significant drop in weight can change the toxicity of chemotherapy or, if the patient is undergoing radiation, it can change their position on the table, altering the exact location of the beam. But more importantly, weight loss during therapy can prolong recovery time and wound healing, and decrease tolerance of the side effects of therapy.”