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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Dec 24, 2025; 16(12): 111372
Published online Dec 24, 2025. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i12.111372
Published online Dec 24, 2025. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i12.111372
Ultra-processed foods and dietary habits of oncology patients: Risk factor or survival strategy
Balint Madarasz, Mate Adam Balazs, Julia Konczos, Andrea Toth, Gyongyver Szentmartoni, Zoltan Herold, Magdolna Dank, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest H-1082, Hungary
Balint Madarasz, Mate Adam Balazs, Julia Konczos, Gyongyver Szentmartoni, Zoltan Herold, Magdolna Dank, Pharmacovigilance and Patient Safety Research Group, Oncology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest H-1082, Hungary
Erzsebet Palfi, Department of Dietetics and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest H-1088, Hungary
Zoltan Herold, Magdolna Dank, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest H-1122, Hungary
Zoltan Herold, Magdolna Dank, Department of Medical Oncology, Semmelweis University, Bud
Author contributions: All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Balint Madarasz, Researcher, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Semmelweis University, Baross Street 23-25, Budapest H-1082, Hungary. madarasz.balint@semmelweis.hu
Received: June 30, 2025
Revised: July 29, 2025
Accepted: November 4, 2025
Published online: December 24, 2025
Processing time: 178 Days and 13.5 Hours
Revised: July 29, 2025
Accepted: November 4, 2025
Published online: December 24, 2025
Processing time: 178 Days and 13.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are increasingly consumed and may significantly impact the health of oncology patients. This review explores the dual role of UPFs - highlighting potential harms such as inflammation, microbiome disruption, and nutrient deficiencies, as well as potential benefits like energy density and accessibility for patients with cancer-related cachexia or anorexia. By examining current literature, the paper underscores the importance of carefully evaluating UPFs in the dietary management of cancer patients to support treatment tolerance, nutritional status, and quality of life.