Nutrition in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms is related to antineoplastic treatment and the occurrence of adverse effects associated with the therapy. Patients undergoing chemotherapy the most often suffer from disorders in taste and smell, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea and vomiting, which causes the aversion to food, and in consequence leads to malnutrition. It is estimated that malnutrition is present in about 80% of patients with esophagus neoplasms, 60% – of gastric neoplasms and 10–15% – of colorectal neoplasms. The use of individual nutritional recommendations is aimed at alleviating adverse effects associated with the therapy and improving the nutritional status of patients. Dietary care should be included in the care plan and become an integral part of it. In hospital wards where there is no therapeutic team, the nursing staff are required to provide nutritional recommendations, therefore dissemination of such articles seems to be helpful in daily work of the staff.

Key words: nutrition, chemotherapy, gastrointestinal neoplasms.