Interest in BFGT is largely parent-driven or explored as an option for children with tube feeding intolerance. Almost 80% of RDs using this feeding substrate report overall positive outcomes, but 28% indicate they want more information on using BFGT in clinical practice.

Background Patients with headand neck cancer (HNC) are at high risk for malnutrition before and during chemoradiation treatment. Many will also require tube feeding to address declines in energy intake, weight, and quality of life (QOL) caused by the impact of treatment on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Blenderized tube feeding (BTF) may ameliorate these adverse conditions. Methods In this open‐label, prospective pilot study, 30 patients with HNC who required feeding tube placement were recruited to switch from standard commercial formula after 2 weeks to a commercially prepared BTF formula. Weight, body mass index (BMI), GI symptoms, and QOL scores were tracked for 6 weeks from the first week of feeding tube placement. Results Of the 16 patients who completed the 6‐week assessment period, weights and BMI scores for 15 patients trended upward. For most patients, QOL and oral intake increased and GI symptoms decreased over the 6‐week period, particularly during weeks 3 and 4, when the impact of treatment is particularly exacting on patients with HNC. Conclusion BTF effectively mitigated weight loss, GI symptoms, QOL scores, and total energy intake in this group of patients with HNC who received tube feeding for 6 weeks.

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Blenderized tube feeding (BTF), defined as tube feeding substrate derived from whole food, has demonstrated clinical utility to reduce tube feeding intolerance, achieve a physiologic diet, and bridge to oral feeding. BTF use peaked in the 1950s but was displaced by commercial formula (CF) in subsequent decades, as the latter has a consistent nutrient content, is sterile, and is less likely to clog tubes. Interest and use of BTF have reemerged and are largely driven by patients or caregivers reporting improved tolerance to whole-food blends compared with CF. BTF may have additional clinical applications, including preparation for radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation. This article presents a case of an adult male patient with thyroid cancer who utilized BTF to achieve the iodine status needed for effective RAI treatment.