Randomized controlled clinical trial assessing the effects of oral nutritional supplements in postoperative gastric cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
Postoperative weight loss and malnutrition are major issues in gastric cancer patients. The concept of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) is gaining widespread acceptance. We investigated the effects of ONS administration on postoperative body weight loss in patients with gastric cancer who had undergone total gastrectomy or distal gastrectomy.


METHODS
Patients were randomized to either the treatment or the control group. In both groups, standard surgery for gastric cancer was performed. In the treatment group, intervention with ONS was performed until 12 weeks after discharge. In the control group, patients were fed the usual postoperative diet. Weight, body composition, quality of life, hematological parameters, and blood chemistry were evaluated.


RESULTS
We analyzed 113 cases (73 distal gastrectomy, 40 total gastrectomy). Weight loss in the ONS group after total gastrectomy was significantly less than that in the control group. Weight loss and skeletal muscle mass loss after distal gastrectomy did not differ significantly between the ONS and control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed ONS after total gastrectomy to significantly diminish postoperative weight loss.
Department of Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Fumihiko
F
Hatao
Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Kuen-Yuan
KY
Chen
Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jin-Ming
JM
Wu
Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ming-Yang
MY
Wang
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
Susumu
S
Aikou
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
Haruna
H
Onoyama
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
Nobuyuki
N
Shimizu
Surgical Center, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Kazuhiko
K
Fukatsu
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan. seto-tky@umin.ac.jp.
Yasuyuki
Y
Seto
Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ming-Tsan
MT
Lin
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D015431:Weight Loss
Nutritional support; Postgastrectomy syndrome; Weight change