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Ways to boost appetite while on chemotherapy?

Page last modified on: November 10, 2011

Question from MarthaB: I have metastatic breast cancer and am on chemo a lot of the time. Well, an acquaintance of mine has a catered dinner every Christmas and the courses just keep coming out. The chemo really takes away my appetite sometimes, so I try to force feed myself to be polite. Is there any way I can boost my appetite if this happens again??: Answers —Larissa Korde, M.D., M.P.H.: That's a really hard question. There are medications that are used in oncology that are used to stimulate appetite, but not specifically in the case of one particular meal. So, I don't know of anything specific that can be used on that kind of a short-term basis.; Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D.: The current trend especially in gourmet dining is not large portions of anything but is tasting and very small portions of every single food item. And so maybe the host of this particular party could adjust the serving sizes to be very small, and let those who wish have extras if available. In this case, you would not look or feel any different than the rest of the guests.

On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Nutrition Through the Holidays. Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D. and Larissa Korde, M.D., M.P.H. answered your questions about what and how much to eat when holiday treats abound.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of Breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a two-time breast cancer survivor.

Larissa Korde, M.D., M.P.H. is an assistant professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance of the University of Washington. She specializes in the care of breast cancer patients.