NCT04302792

New Food Solutions for Cancer Patients

Oncofood: New Food Solutions for Cancer Patients

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 88 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Reading · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The ONCOFOOD project aims to design and develop new innovative food solutions for cancer patients, taking into account not only their nutritional requirements but also their sensory changes, promoting eating pleasure and preventing malnutrition. Research involving cancer patients but also their families and health care professionals is a key element of this approach to ensure the success of the developed products for the target group.

Detailed description

The study will be divided into three stages: in Stage 1, individual interviews will be conducted with present and past cancer patients, focus groups with families/care givers of cancer patients and health care professionals (cancer specialist nurses, clinical and medical oncologists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, oncology social workers and counselors). The interviews will help collect data and gain understanding on the needs of cancer patients, barriers to current food proposals and expectations from new solutions. In subsequent stages, semi-quantitative studies will be conducted with cancer patients that require texture-modified foods (Stage 2) and patients with taste \& smell alterations (Stage 3). Patients will be required to evaluate texture-modified products (developed using 3D food printing technology) and taste-optimised products (i.e. soups, mousses, fruit and vegetable beverages, dairy desserts and seasonings) developed based on the results obtained from Stage 1 above.

Conditions

• Cancer Patients
• Taste Disorders
• Food Selection

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Texture-modified foods for cancer patients (Stage 2)	Participants (cancer patients that require texture-modified foods) will be expected to evaluate a maximum of three meals over a 2-weeks period.
BEHAVIORAL	Taste-optimised foods for cancer patients (Stage 3)	Participants (cancer patients with taste \& smell alterations) will be expected to evaluate three foods at home over a period of one month.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-06-09
• Primary completion: 2020-12-31
• Completion: 2020-12-31
• First posted: 2020-03-10
• Last updated: 2021-06-14

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom