Nestlé backs WSSO initiative to tackle malnutrition in cancer surgery patients

Nestlé has pledged its support for the World Society of Surgical Oncology’s (WSSO) international initiative to develop expert recommendations on nutritional care for patients undergoing cancer surgery. 

The partners aim to create a more consistent approach to providing patients with relevant nutrition advice tailored to their condition, alongside systems to identify those who are at nutritional risk.

Nestlé flags that malnutrition is an often-overlooked issue in cancer treatment, citing studies suggesting that up to 70% of cancer patients may be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, depending on tumor type and clinical context. 

“This global initiative can help put nutrition where it belongs: at the center of cancer surgery,” says Dr. Sara Colombo Mottaz, Pharm Ph.D., head of the Medical, Scientific, and Regulatory Affairs Unit at Nestlé.

“By improving diagnosis for malnutrition and providing the right nutritional support, we can help achieve better outcomes for patients while helping to reduce pressure on health care systems.”

Importance of appropriate nutritional support 

Nestlé underscores that the appropriate nutritional support before an operation can reduce the risk of complications and infections as well as the length of hospital stays and unplanned readmissions. It cites an analysis of 56 trials finding that providing nutritional support before surgery reduced complications and shortened hospital stays. 

Nestlé underscores that the appropriate nutritional support before an operation can reduce the risk of complications and infections as well as the length of hospital stays and unplanned readmissions.Nestlé-WSSO’s “first-of-its-kind” panel will bring together 15 global medical experts, spanning surgery, nursing, anesthesia, and dietetics. The independent panel will review the latest scientific evidence and develop practical recommendations to help integrate nutrition more systematically into the care of cancer patients undergoing surgery.

“We know that nutritional care can contribute to better outcomes for patients undergoing cancer surgery, but it is not yet consistently part of surgical care,” Dr. Rodrigo Pinheiro, scientific director at the WSSO. “Through this collaboration, we aim to help translate the evidence into practical recommendations that can improve care for patients worldwide.”

The panel’s conclusions and recommendations are expected in the second half of 2027. They will be shared with health care professionals, policymakers, and governments to raise awareness and recommend adoption of evidence-based nutritional practices in cancer care.

Turning point for health care and industry 

“Patient-centric” medical nutrition is now at an inflection point for industry, as health care practitioners are becoming more conscious about its essential role in accelerating healing. 

Earlier this year, the Food Is Medicine Coalition and Harvard Law School released a national framework designed to inform hospital professionals how to introduce medically tailored meals into the US health care system. 

Meanwhile, Danone recently inaugurated its largest medical nutrition production line in Steenvoorde, France, to develop its European capacity as the aging population and chronic disease in the region rise. 

Nestlé stresses that malnutrition can increase health care costs, citing studies showing substantially higher costs for malnourished patients. The Food Is Medicine movement has gained bipartisan support in the US, as Democrats and Republicans have jointly advocated for its implementation in hospitals. 

Moreover, a majority of US adults in a survey said they would be interested in food-based nutrition interventions.