Abnormal liver function during nutritional support in postoperative cancer patients.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Surgical Nutrition

Background:

• Head and neck cancer surgery often necessitates nutritional support.
• Nutritional support can be delivered via total intravenous (IV) or nasogastric (NG) routes.
• Potential impacts of these feeding methods on liver function require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess liver function abnormalities in patients receiving post-operative nutritional support.
• To identify the prevalence of specific liver enzyme elevations.
• To explore potential causes and propose further research directions.

Main Methods:

• Study included twenty patients undergoing head and neck cancer surgery.
• Patients received either total intravenous or nasogastric nutritional support.
• Liver function tests, including serum alkaline phosphatase and aspartate aminotransferase, were monitored.

Main Results:

• Fifteen out of twenty patients exhibited elevated serum alkaline phosphatase.
• Eighteen out of twenty patients showed increased aspartate aminotransferase levels.
• Patients were maintained in a positive nitrogen balance during nutritional support.

Conclusions:

• Total intravenous and nasogastric nutritional support are associated with liver function abnormalities in head and neck cancer patients.
• Elevated liver enzymes (ALP, AST) are frequent findings.
• Further investigation into the underlying causes of these hepatic changes is warranted.