Impact of nutritional intervention on clinical outcomes of gastrointestinal tract cancer patients
Gastrointestinal Neoplasms. Nutritional Status. Nutritional Supplements. Perioperative Period.
Cancer is a chronic disease characterized by the abnormal and disordered growth of cells that tend to invade neighboring tissues and organs. Patients undergoing surgical resection have malnutrition as a risk factor for postoperative complications, and adequate nutritional support is recommended in the perioperative period. Gastrointestinal cancer has a direct impact on dietary intake and can influence the quantity and quality of the diet consumed. When dietary advice alone is ineffective, nutritional supplements help to meet the patient's nutritional needs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of oral supplementation on clinical outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing surgical treatment. This is an experimental, prospective clinical trial with 44 participants selected at the Liga Norte Riograndense Contra o Câncer, the site of the research, which took place between June 2023 and June 2024. The participants were divided into two groups according to the classification of the Overall Subjective Evaluation Produced by the Patient (ASG-PPP), without supplementation and with supplementation. The study took place in two stages: pre-surgery and post-surgery, in which the participants received supplementation for 10 days after surgery. The data collected was recorded on a pre-designed instrument containing fields for information on nutritional status, muscle reserve and function and clinical outcomes. There were significant differences between the groups with regard to the variables weight (p = 0.000), BMI (p = 0.005), WC (p = 0.040), WC (p = 0.010) and weight loss (p = 0.018), but the difference in means and medians were greater in the group without supplementation. The group that received supplementation had a lower average weight loss of 2.5 kg (SD = 2.2) compared to the group without intervention, with an average of 4.6 kg (SD = 3.2). There was no significant difference between the groups with and without supplementation when associated with length of stay (p = 0.601) and clinical outcome (p = 0.477).