Since 2019, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Cairo, Egypt, has proudly served as an ambassador for ASPEN’s Malnutrition Awareness Week, becoming a national leader in raising awareness about the critical issue of malnutrition in patients with cancer. As one of the largest cancer treatment facilities in Egypt, NCI serves approximately 315,000 patients annually and offers comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services through its 40 specialized outpatient clinics, including a clinical nutrition clinic.
Over the past six years, the NCI clinical nutrition team has utilized various platforms, including social media, conferences, in-hospital lectures for HCPs and patients, and community outreach activities, to promote malnutrition awareness during ASPEN’s Malnutrition Awareness Week. Through their efforts, NCI has helped increase awareness about malnutrition’s devastating impact on cancer patients, ensuring that this issue remains a priority within Egypt’s healthcare system.
In 2024, the NCI organized the following activities during MAW, highlighting the importance of addressing malnutrition in both adult and pediatric patients.
- Activities for Adult Care
- Educational lecture on healthy lifestyles, eating habits, and signs of malnutrition.
- One-on-one nutrition education for malnutrition screening.
- Distribution of dietary habit questionnaires and booklets on managing cancer treatment side effects to prevent malnutrition.
- Dissemination of ASPEN’s adult infographic on malnutrition signs and MAW stickers in Arabic.
- Activities for Pediatric Care
- Lectures for parents on pediatric malnutrition and healthy eating.
- Malnutrition screening and engaging activities for children to promote healthy eating.
- Distribution of ASPEN’s pediatric infographic and MAW stickers in Arabic.
- Educational Lectures for NCI Employees
NCI hosted a Nutrition Day for its staff, featuring lectures on:- The role of NCI as an ASPEN ambassador over the past six years.
- Sarcopenia and its consequences.
- “Treat Your Body as if it is Your Child.”
- Online Engagements and Webinars
NCI used social media and email to promote MAW, distributing free webinar codes to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and announcing webinar schedules.
Through these initiatives, the NCI continues to inspire other institutions to advocate for malnutrition awareness. Despite economic constraints, NCI’s dedication to improving nutrition care for oncology patients remains unwavering.
