Impact of Nutritional Support on Antitumor Efficacy in the Era of Immunotherapy

Despite breakthroughs in immunotherapy for solid tumors, significant variations in treatment efficacy persist. Up to 80% of cancer patients suffer from malnutrition, which leads to: lymphoid atrophy and reduced T-cell reserves; deficiency of substrates required for T-cell activation and expansion; concurrent inflammation hindering T-cell infiltration into tumors; and cachexia accelerating PD-1 antibody clearance. Clinical studies confirm that severe malnutrition significantly impairs immune responses and increases the risk of treatment toxicity. Therefore, implementing standardized nutritional therapy is crucial for optimizing the reserve, activation, expansion, and infiltration capacity of immune cells, thereby providing a sound immune system foundation for immunotherapy. Immunonutrition therapy, by enhancing immunonutrients such as arginine, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and nucleotides, reduces the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators and promotes T-cell activation and proliferation. This enhances anti-tumor immune responses, prolongs survival, and advances cancer treatment towards multimodal combination and precision approaches.