This article is aimed to provide a descriptive overview on nutritional and dietetic evaluation and intervention in palliative cancer patients, for whom appropriate identification, initiation and implementation of nutritional strategies are warranted to prevent complications secondary to anorexia and cachexia. Growing evidence from evaluation studies on diet and nutrition in palliative cancer patients suggested routine use of home parenteral nutrition, a thorough routine measurement of nutritional status was indicated to appropriately identify anorexia and cachexia, usefulness of Mini nutritional assessment score for bedside screening, and an inter-relationship between energy density and energy intake. Evidence from studies on nutritional interventions point out therapeutic benefits of involving family and caregivers into decision-making, better nutritional status resulted in lesser prevalence of complications, and European association for palliative care recommended a three-step approach to providing artificial nutrition and hydration in palliative cancer patients which deserve individualized application along a multidisciplinary biopsychosocial model.

Keywords: Palliative dietetics; Palliative nutrition; Dietetic oncology; Nutritional oncology.