Oncology Dietitians Seminar

 
She graduated from Yeditepe University with a Bachelor of Science in nutrition and dietetics. Then she received a Masters of Science in oncology nutrition at Bournemouth University in England. Hilal Karaca, MS, RD is currently working at Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital.

Hilal Karaca, MS, RD started her presentation with the definition of cancer and cancer cell cycles. She talked about the factors that trigger cancer, including age, nutritional habits, alcohol consumption, exposure to pathogens and carcinogenics, genetic factors and inflammation.

Emphasizing the importance of the relationship between cancer and nutrition Hilal Karaca, MS, RD, mentioned that according to studies, 30% of people can be protected fro cancer via  nutrition.
 
Hilal Karaca, MS, RD, divided her presentation into three titles,
-Nutrition and Cancer Prevention
- Nutrition in Cancer
-Nutrition for Cancer Survivors.
 
She said that "There are many studies about the effects of  nutritional habits on susceptibility to cancer". Also, she emphasized the importance of antioxidants in cancer prevention and mentioned the foods with a high antioxidant effect like dark green vegetables, green tea, lavender, apple, olive oil and legumes.

In the second part, Hilal Karaca, MS, RD talked about the nutrition of cancer patients and the changes in the patient's metabolism. In this context, she indicated that vitamin A deficiency was observed especially in colorectal cancers; vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene deficiency were observed in lung, stomach, pancreas, mouth cancers and also vitamin A and calcium deficiency were observed in thyroid cancer and colon cancer.

Hilal Karaca, MS, MD. continued her speech on the effect of nutrition in the treatment, explaining the side effects of the treatment process on the patients in regard to different cancer types.  She explained the causes of the malnutrition, which is commonly observed in cancer patients, and stated that the reasons behind this are insufficient energy, protein deficiency or other nutrient deficiencies.

The symptoms of malnutrition are unintended weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, taste change, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and pain and dryness in the mouth.
 
She stated that malnutrition induces cancer cachexia and this negatively affects the quality of life of the patient while making the treatment process difficult.

Hilal Karaca, MS, RD pointed out that 20% of cancer patients died due to malnutrition developing during the treatment process and listed, in this context, the oncology dietitians' roles are as follows;

- Adjusting the nutritional needs of the patient
- Ameliorating the symptoms of the patient
-Maintaining the patient's body weight
- Improving the life quality of the patient
-The patient's ability to tolerate treatment
- Reducing the patient's risk of infection
 
She stated that the patient history, laboratory results, nutritional needs and symptoms of the patients should be well evaluated when working with cancer patients.

Hilal Karaca, MS, RD, stated that there are some risks of working with cancer patients, which requires being meticulous in the decision-making process of medical nutrition treatment.

While evaluating the laboratory results of the patients, hemoglobin, B12, B6, CPR, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, leukocyte count, total protein, LDL, HDL, ALT, AST and bilirubin values should be considered. Also, she shared the range of these blood values ​​with the students.

Hilal Karaca also touched on nutrition targets in cancer. About these targets "The energy to be taken per kilogram is calculated as 25-35 kcal/kg. Protein needs can vary from person to person, as 1.2-1.5g / kg is calculated", she said.
Hilal Karaca also talked about nutritional support in cancer patients.

She stated that the nutritional supplements will differ from patient to patient and the opinion of the physician should be taken.In addition, she talked about the difficulties experienced by the cancer survivors, who are the subject of her master thesis, and the changes in their eating habits.

She informed to the student about graduate process in abroad, application process for universities and advantages/disadvantages of study abroad. Sharing her experiences abroad with students, Hilal Karaca, MS, RD advised all students to experience that experience. Lastly, she answered the questions from the students and talked about the advantages of professional branching.

For the invitation and hospitality, she thanked everyone who attended the seminar. At the end of the seminar, Hilal’s plaque was presented by the Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics English Track Asst. Prof. B.Gökçe ÇÖL.