Chemotherapy, chemoradiation and surgery may lead to significantly reduced nutritional status, physical function and cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with oesophagogastric cancer. This can have a negative effect the patient’s long-term quality of life. A multidisciplinary approach is critical. Team members may include anaesthetists, oncologists, surgeons, haematologists, clinical psychologists, exercise physiologists, physiotherapists and dietitians, among others.

Patient performance status is a central factor in cancer care and should be frequently assessed. All patients should be screened for malnutrition using a validated tool, such as the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST). The lead clinician may refer obese or malnourished patients to a dietitian preoperatively or before other treatments begin. Ideally, the dietitian should be present in the MDM to discuss early nutrition support. Patients who receive nutritional supplementation before treatment may have improved quality of life and fewer treatment complications (Arends et al. 2016).

Cancer prehabilitation helps prepare patients for treatments such as surgery and prevents deconditioning while undergoing systemic therapy and radiation therapy.

Patients who currently smoke should be encouraged to stop smoking before receiving treatment. This should include an offer of referral to Quitline in addition to smoking cessation pharmacotherapy if clinically appropriate.

Evidence indicates that patients who respond well to prehabilitation may have fewer complications after treatment. For example, those who were exercising before diagnosis and patients who use prehabilitation before starting treatment may improve their physical or psychological outcomes, or both, and this helps patients to function at a higher level throughout their cancer treatment (Cormie et al. 2017; Silver 2015).

For patients with oesophagogastric cancer, the multidisciplinary team should consider these specific prehabilitation assessments and interventions for treatment-related complications or major side effects:

• conducting a physical, nutritional and psychological assessment to establish a baseline function level
• identifying impairments and providing targeted interventions to improve the patient’s function level (Silver & Baima 2013)
• reviewing the patient’s medication to ensure optimisation and to improve adherence to medicine used for comorbid conditions.

Following completion of primary cancer treatment, rehabilitation programs have considerable potential to enhance physical function

Cancer and cancer treatment may cause fertility problems. This will depend on the age of the patient, the type of cancer and the treatment received. Infertility can range from difficulty having a child to the inability to have a child. Infertility after treatment may be temporary, lasting months to years, or permanent (AYA Cancer Fertility Preservation Guidance Working Group 2014).

Patients need to be advised about and potentially referred for discussion about fertility preservation before starting treatment and need advice about contraception before, during and after treatment. Patients and their family should be aware of the ongoing costs involved in optimising fertility. Fertility management may apply in both men and women. Fertility preservation options are different for men and women and the need for ongoing contraception applies to both men and women.

The potential for impaired fertility should be discussed and reinforced at different time points as appropriate throughout the diagnosis, treatment, surveillance and survivorship phases of care. These ongoing discussions will enable the patient and, if applicable, the family to make informed decisions. All discussions should be documented in the patient’s medical record.

See the Cancer Council website for more information.

See validated screening tools mentioned in Principle 4 ‘Supportive care’.

A number of specific challenges and needs may arise for patients at this time:

• assistance for dealing with psychological and emotional distress while adjusting to the diagnosis; treatment phobias; existential concerns; stress; difficulties making treatment decisions; anxiety or depression or both; psychosexual issues such as potential loss of fertility and premature menopause; history of sexual abuse; and interpersonal problems
• management of physical symptoms such as pain and fatigue (Australian Adult Cancer Pain Management Guideline Working Party 2019)
• referral to a dietitian for nutritional assessment and support:
  • GI symptoms (e.g. dysphagia, pain, nausea, vomiting, mucositis, anorexia, cachexia and indigestion may require optimal symptom control with medication and referral to a dietitian if dietary intake is affected.
  • Weight loss due to GI symptoms, difficulty swallowing and decrease in appetite can be significant issues that require referral to a dietitian before, during and after treatment.
  • Malnutrition or undernutrition assessment, identified using a validated nutrition screening tool such as the MST (note that many patients with a high BMI [obese patients] may also be malnourished [WHO 2018]) to identify patients at risk.
  • Patients requiring oral nutrition support or feeding via enteral nutrition, or patients with a stent, should receive support from dietitians with expertise in managing these interventions before, during and after treatment.
• access to urgent endoscopy if required
• support for families or carers who are distressed with the patient’s cancer diagnosis
• financial and employment issues (e.g. loss of income, travel and accommodation requirements for rural patients, and caring arrangements for other family members)
• support for families/relatives who may be distressed after learning of a genetically linked cancer diagnosis
• specific spiritual needs that may benefit from the involvement of pastoral/spiritual care.

Additionally, palliative care may be required at this stage.

For more information on supportive care and needs that may arise for different population groups, see Appendices A and B, and special population groups.

In discussion with the patient, the lead clinician and care coordinator should undertake the following:

• establish if the patient has a regular or preferred general practitioner and, if the patient does not have one, then encourage them to find one
• provide written information appropriate to the health literacy of the patient about the diagnosis and treatment to the patient and carer and refer the patient to the Guide to best cancer care (consumer optimal care pathway) for oesophagogastric cancer, as well as to relevant websites and support groups as appropriate
• provide a treatment care plan including contact details for the treating team and information on when to call the hospital
• discuss a timeframe for diagnosis and treatment with the patient and carer
• discuss the benefits of multidisciplinary care and gain the patient’s consent before presenting their case at an MDM
• provide brief advice and refer to Quitline (13 7848) for behavioural intervention if the patient currently smokes (or has recently quit), and prescribe smoking cessation pharmacotherapy, if clinically appropriate
• recommend an ‘integrated approach’ throughout treatment regarding nutrition, exercise and minimal or no alcohol consumption among other considerations
• communicate the benefits of continued engagement with primary care during treatment for managing comorbid disease, health promotion, care coordination and holistic care
• where appropriate, review fertility needs with the patient and refer for specialist fertility management (including fertility preservation, contraception, management during pregnancy and of future pregnancies)
• be open to and encourage discussion about the diagnosis, prognosis (if the patient wishes to know) and survivorship and palliative care while clarifying the patient’s preferences and needs, personal and cultural beliefs and expectations, and their ability to comprehend the communication
• encourage the patient to participate in advance care planning including considering appointing one or more substitute decision-makers and completing an advance care directive to clearly document their treatment preferences. Each state and territory has different terminology and legislation surrounding advance care directives and substitute decision-makers.

The lead clinician has these communication responsibilities:

• involving the general practitioner from the point of diagnosis
• ensuring regular and timely communication with the general practitioner about the diagnosis, treatment plan and recommendations from MDMs and inviting them to participate in MDMs (consider using virtual mechanisms)
• supporting the role of general practice both during and after treatment
• discussing shared or team care arrangements with general practitioners or regional cancer specialists, or both, together with the patient.

Refer to Principle 6 ‘Communication’ for communication skills training programs and resources.