Abstract: Objective:To investigate the application value of nutritional support therapy after resection of esophageal cancer.
Methods:The clinical data of 125 patients with esophageal cancer who were admitted to the Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University between May and November 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002), 58 patients with scores of NRS 2002≥3 were allocated to the A group including 43 receiving nutritional support therapy in the A1 group and 15 receiving no nutritional support therapy in the A2 group; 67 patients with scores of NRS 2002<3 were allocated to the B group including 29 receiving nutritional support therapy in the B1 group and 38 receiving no nutritional support therapy in the B2 group. The NRS 2002 was used as a screening tool of nutritional risk within 48 hours after admission. There was nutritional risk in patients with scores of NRS 2002≥3 and no nutritional risk in patients with scores of NRS 2002<3. Patients and their families would choose whether or not underwent nutritional support therapy after the risks being informed. Parenteral nutritional support therapy used any 2 kinds of intravenously infusions of glucose, fat emulsion and amino acid, and enteral nutritional support therapy included tube feeding enteral nutrition or oral nutriments. The calories≥10 kcal/(kg·d) were offered for more than 5 days. The incidence of malnutrition in patients with nutritional risk was calculated, and the level of serum Alb and prealbumin before operation, at postoperative day 3 and day 7, postoperative recovery time of gastrointestinal function and duration of hospital stay were detected. Count data were analyzed using the chisquare test. Measurement data with normal distribution were presented as ±s. Comparison among groups was analyzed using the LSDt test, and repeated measures data were analyzed by the repeated measures ANOVA.
Results:Of 58 patients in the A group, 51 patients were complicated with malnutrition with a incidence of 87.9%, and nutritional support therapy in 43 patients was well tolerated without abdominal pain, distension and diarrhea. The level of serum Alb before operation, at postoperative day 3 and day 7 were (29.4±1.7)g/L, (29.8±1.5)g/L, (32.2±2.3)g/L in the A1 group, (28.5±1.9)g/L, (27.0±1.8)g/L, (28.3±1.7)g/L in the A2 group, (35.8±1.3)g/L, (36.0±1.4)g/L, (37.4±2.1)g/L in the B1 group and (34.5±1.3)g/L, (35.3±1.7)g/L, (36.3±1.5)g/L in the B2 group, showing a significant difference in the changing trends between the A1 and A2 groups (F=2.541, P<0.05) and no significant difference between the B1 and B2 groups (F=0.734, P>0.05）. The number of patients with level of prealbumin<2.5 g/L and ≥2.5 g/L before operation, at postoperative day 3 and day 7 were 17 and 26, 13 and 30, 10 and 33 in the A1 group, 6 and 9, 9 and 6, 10 and 5 in the A2 group, 5 and 24, 6 and 23, 7 and 22 in the B1 group and 7 and 31, 9 and 29, 13 and 25 in the B2 group, with a significant difference between the A1 and A2 groups (χ²=4.183, P<0.05) and no significant difference between the B1 and B2 groups (χ²=0.795, P>0.05). The postoperative recovery time of gastrointestinal function and duration of hospital stay were (3.2±0.8)days and (11.6±1.1)days in the A1 group, (3.8±1.0)days and (15.5±2.7)days in the A2 group, (2.7±1.0)days and (10.6±2.6)days in the B1 group and (3.2±0.8)days and (11.3± 1.5)days in the B2 group, with significant differences between the A1 and A2 groups (t=0.921, 3.005, P< 0.05) and no significant difference between the B1 and B2 groups (t=0.927, 0.440, P>0.05).
Conclusions Application of NRS 2002 for evaluating nutritional status and guiding nutritional support therapy in patients with esophageal cancer is accurate and trusted. The postoperative nutritional support therapy should be selectively and reasonably applied to patients with nutritional risk, and it can improve the nutritional status of patients with esophageal cancer, enhance postoperative recovery and reduce duration of hospital stay.