Pancreatic cancer. Presented by Lauren Atkins, AdvAPD and Elise Den, APD
The pancreas’s role in digestion, absorption and blood sugar regulation means that people with pancreatic cancer can have overwhelming nutrition impact symptoms. Dietitians play an essential role in their care and as part of the health team.
This presentation contains a complete overview of pancreatic cancer.
Elise and Lauren provide anatomy and physiology of the pancreas- a necessity if we are to understand the nutritional consequences of pancreatic cancer.
Treatment regimens are described, including surgical options, radiation and chemotherapy. With each of these treatments nutrition impact symptoms are implicated. This is where Lauren and Elise’s experience in oncology dietetics becomes so apparent. They look at the myriad of possible nutrition impact symptoms and discuss practical strategies to address them.
Their case study Sandra provides additional depth to the presentation. We hear Sandra describe her experience of a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and the importance of the dietary advice she was given in her treatment and recovery.
Lauren Atkins AdvAPD and Elise Den, APD have both worked in cancer care and survivorship for over 10 years including senior roles at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Using their combined expertise, in 2017 they co-founded OnCore nutrition a private practice dedicated to all aspects of cancer nutrition - from pre-treatment and pre-surgery, nutrition during and after treatment, to optimising recovery and improving survivorship. As well as their clinical practice, Lauren and Elise have undergone further training, research and contributed to oncology committees and guidelines. They were part of the expert panel which wrote the Pancare Foundation guide to diet and nutrition for people living with pancreatic cancer.
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