Eating problems

How cancer affects eating can vary. Some eating problems may be due to the cancer. Others may be side effects of cancer treatment.

Some people feel well and can eat normally. For others, the cancer may have caused symptoms which led to their diagnosis. Depending on where the cancer is in your body, symptoms can include:

• weight loss
• a poor appetite
• feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• pain
• taste changes
• problems swallowing
• diarrhoea or constipation.

The cancer may also change the way your body uses the food you eat. This means that you do not get all the nutrients you need.

If you have eating problems, your doctor or nurse may suggest you see a dietitian.

Some cancer treatments can cause eating problems. Often, these are temporary and get better when you finish treatment. But for some people, cancer or cancer treatments can permanently affect their diet and eating. Your doctor, specialist nurse or dietitian will support you and advise you on what might help.

If you have had any type of surgery, you may not feel like eating. You may need to make changes to your diet and eating pattern if you have had surgery to your:

• mouth
• throat
• gullet (oesophagus)
• stomach
• bowel.

After some types of surgery, you may be able to eat only soft foods. Some types of surgery can also slow down your digestion. If you are not sure what to eat, speak to your cancer doctor, GP, specialist nurse or dietitian. They will be able to help you.

Radiotherapy to your head, neck or chest area can cause:

• taste changes
• difficulty swallowing
• a dry mouth
• a sore mouth and throat
• blisters in your mouth
• thick saliva.

Radiotherapy to the tummy (abdomen) can make you feel sick or be sick. Radiotherapy to the pelvic area (between the hips) can cause changes in your bowel habits such as wind or diarrhoea.

Common side effects of some chemotherapy treatments include:

• loss of appetite
• feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• constipation
• diarrhoea
• a sore mouth
• taste changes.

Targeted therapies can affect your appetite. Other side effects include:

• taste changes
• a dry or sore mouth
• feeling sick (nausea)
• diarrhoea.

Immunotherapy can cause side effects such as diarrhoea, feeling sick (nausea) or a reduced appetite.

Sometimes cancer or cancer treatment causes eating problems that mean you cannot eat or drink enough to maintain your weight. Your cancer doctors or dietitian may suggest artificial nutritional support. This is when you are given nutrients through a tube. This tube may go either into the stomach or bowel (enteral nutrition ), or into a vein (parenteral nutrition).

It is natural to feel worried about eating problems and how they may affect your life at home. You may worry that changes in your eating will affect your relationships with your partner, family or friends. Or you may be anxious about what other people will think.

Talking about your feelings may help. Many people find that it helps to talk to someone they trust. If that feels difficult, you could speak to your healthcare team at the hospital, or your GP instead. There are ways they can support you.

We are committed to making our website as accessible as possible, to make sure that everyone can use it.

We have information about cancer and eating problems in over 16 languages, and in other formats including audiobooks, and easy read.

If we don't have what you are looking for, you can ask for information to be translated for free or provided in a format to suit you. Email us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk or call us on 0808 808 00 00.