Case Report on a Multidisciplinary Approach to Address Malnutrition and Improve a Patient’s Fitness for Treatment

Abstract

Approximately 5,700 people are diagnosed with myeloma each year in the UK. The standard of care is to receive an autologous stem cell transplant after completion of induction therapy. There are no specific dietary recommendations for people with myeloma, however they are at risk of malnutrition due to symptoms and side effects of treatments. This report describes the journey of a 73-year-old male diagnosed with immunoglobulin A (IgA) lambda myeloma in April 2021. The patient lost 23% of his body weight during 6 months of systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT), resulting in postponing his transplant twice due to reduced fitness. This report describes an effective, although late, multidisciplinary intervention which was successful for the patient who managed to reestablish a healthy weight and good quality of life. The patient received his transplant in January 2023. This case highlights two important aspects of patient care that should not be underestimated in dietetic clinical practice: early screening and multidisciplinary collaboration. Monitoring the nutritional status of patients and providing early nutrition support can prevent hospital admissions, treatment delays and reduce the associated costs. Multidisciplinary teamwork can improve patient care and clinical outcomes, and it is fundamental to strengthen communication and collaboration among clinical disciplines.

Author Contributions

FT, SC, JT, VI and EW applied for ethics and designed the study. FT led the conduct, data extraction and writing. SC, VI, EW and JT reviewed drafts of the paper and approved the final submission.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author FT. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of the research participant.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.