National Cancer Center Expands Nutrition Support for Vulnerable Cancer Patients

The National Cancer Center (NCC) is expanding a support program aimed at addressing nutritional imbalances among cancer patients from vulnerable groups. The initiative seeks to aid recovery by narrowing nutritional gaps that arise during treatment.

The NCC announced Monday that it will expand the “Care Bridge” nutrition support program, operated jointly with Daesang Wellife, for one year starting this year.

Care Bridge is a public-private corporate social responsibility program that provides nutrition products to cancer patients who struggle to maintain adequate nutrition due to financial hardship. After a four-month pilot run last year confirmed the program’s effectiveness in patient recovery and high satisfaction rates, the support period was significantly extended.

This year, the NCC’s medical social welfare team will assess the nutritional status of cancer patients from vulnerable groups to select eligible recipients. Selected patients will receive nutrition packages — consisting of nutrition drinks formulated for cancer patients and low-sugar snacks — on a bimonthly basis. Approximately 90 patients will be supported.

The program goes beyond simple provision of supplies by incorporating professional counseling. The NCC’s clinical nutrition division plans to offer customized nutritional counseling to patients requiring improvement in their nutritional status, thereby enhancing treatment outcomes.

Cancer patients commonly experience appetite loss and weight decline during treatment, but experts have repeatedly pointed out that vulnerable groups face structural barriers that make proper nutritional management difficult. This program is an attempt to address such “nutrition blind spots.”

“We are deeply grateful to Daesang Wellife for sponsoring this initiative so that cancer patients can focus on treatment and return to society in good health,” NCC Director Yang Han-gwang said. “Through the heartfelt feedback from patients after last year’s pilot, we truly felt the importance of this program. We hope this expansion will mark a step beyond one-time support toward establishing a sustainable social contribution model.”