You may need a feeding tube to help you manage issues with eating and drinking, and get the nutrition you need.
You may receive all of your nutrition through this tube, or it may be used to supplement the food you eat.
| When feeding tubes are used? | Some people with stomach cancer may need a feeding tube before, during or after treatment. This helps keep your weight steady and gives your body strength. A feeding tube can go into your stomach or small bowel. It may be put in through your nose (nasogastric or nasojejunal tube) or through your belly with a small operation (gastrostomy or jejunostomy tube). |
| How long are feeding tubes used for? | The tube may stay in place until you can eat and drink normally again. A special liquid food (called formula) goes through the tube to give you the nutrients your body needs. If you go home with the feeding tube, a dietitian will tell you how much formula to take and how often. |
| How to care for a feeding tube? | Many people find that having a feeding tube is a more comfortable way to get enough food and drink if the cancer is making eating and drinking difficult. Your health care team will show you how to keep the tube clean and working well. The doctor will remove the tube when you no longer need it. |
How a feeding tube works
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Prof David I Watson, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Flinders University, and Senior Consultant Surgeon, Oesophago-Gastric Surgery Unit, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; Prof Bryan Burmeister, Senior Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare Fraser Coast and Hervey Bay Hospital, QLD; Dr Natalie Collier, Radiation Oncologist, Wollongong Hospital, NSW; A/Prof Melissa Eastgate, A/Executive Director, Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Brett Hall, Consumer; Natalie Lalor, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria; Chris Menzies, Upper GI Cancer Nurse Consultant, Flinders Medical Centre and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA; Stefanie Simnadis, Clinical Dietitian, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, WA; Prof Rajvinder Singh, Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide, and Director, Gastroenterology Department and Head of Endoscopy, Lyell McEwin Hospital, SA.
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