Diet/Nutrition: Ready to Transition from a Cancer Recurrence/Prevention Strategy to a Chronic Pain Management Modality for Cancer Survivors?

Abstract

Evidence for the relationship between chronic pain and nutrition is mounting, and chronic pain following cancer is gaining recognition as a significant area for improving health care in the cancer survivorship population. This review explains why nutrition should be considered to be an important component in chronic pain management in cancer survivors by exploring relevant evidence from the literature and how to translate this knowledge into clinical practice. This review was built on relevant evidence from both human and pre-clinical studies identified in PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases. Given the relationship between chronic pain, inflammation, and metabolism found in the literature, it is advised to look for a strategic dietary intervention in cancer survivors. Dietary interventions may result in weight loss, a healthy body weight, good diet quality, systemic inflammation, and immune system regulations, and a healthy gut microbiota environment, all of which may alter the pain-related pathways and mechanisms. In addition to being a cancer recurrence or prevention strategy, nutrition may become a chronic pain management modality for cancer survivors. Although additional research is needed before implementing nutrition as an evidence-based management modality for chronic pain in cancer survivors, it is already critical to counsel and inform this patient population about the importance of a healthy diet based on the data available so far.

Simulate the Dynamic Interactions Across Nutritional Supplements, the Polybiome, and the Biochemical Approach Dependent on Patient-Derived Gastrointestinal Knowledge

“…Colonic xenografts may lend credibility to the discoveries of noncommunicable diseases and nutritional surveys and questionnaires, as well as shed light on the mechanisms involved. [254,255]. The make-up of an individual's gastrointestinal microbiota has a direct bearing on the kinds of byproducts that are created by the microbes that reside there, as well as the amount of those byproducts and the physicochemical characteristics they exhibit.…”

“…After that, is it possible to identify gastrointestinal microbiota byproducts and thereafter link them to the healthy and natural phytonutrients and microorganisms that are fully accountable for microbiological oxidative metabolism? [255]. If true, this might reprogramme aberrant pathways connected to these diseases.…”

The Key Role of Lifestyle Factors in Perpetuating Chronic Pain: Towards Precision Pain Medicine

“…In addition, a review describes the current state of the art regarding nutrition in patients with chronic (non-cancer) pain, highlighting why nutrition is critical within a person-centred approach to pain management, and providing recommendations to guide clinicians in doing so [ 17 ]. In addition, another review included in this Special Issue focusses on patients with post-cancer pain, and argues that diet/nutrition might be ready to transition from a cancer recurrence/prevention strategy towards a chronic pain management modality for cancer survivors [ 24 ]. The importance of evidence-based pain management in cancer survivors is another global trend thoroughly addressed in this Special Issue, with another state-of-the-art review discussing how multiple modifiable lifestyle factors, such as stress, insomnia, diet, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity, play a role in shaping the pain experience after cancer, and how available treatment programs for cancer survivors can be improved by including an individually tailored lifestyle management approach [ 25 ].…”