Nutritional status of patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy for lung cancer

Impaired nutrition is an important predictor of perioperative complications in lung cancer patients, and preoperative chemoradiotherapy increases the risk of such complications. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of an immune-enhancing diet on nutritional status in patients undergoing lung resection after chemoradiotherapy. We compared the preoperative nutritional status in 15 patients with lung cancer undergoing lung resection without chemoradiotherapy and 15 who had chemoradiotherapy. Body mass index and lymphocyte counts were lower in patients who had chemoradiotherapy. Although there was no difference in the rate of postoperative morbidity between groups, the chemoradiotherapy patients were more likely to have severe complications postoperatively. After chemoradiotherapy in 12 patients, 6 received oral Impact for 5 days, and 6 had a conventional diet before surgery. Oral intake of Impact for 5 days before surgery modified the decrease in transferrin and lymphocytes after the operation. Preoperative immunonutrition may improve the perioperative nutritional status after induction chemoradiotherapy in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery, and reduce the severity of postoperative complications. These potential benefits need to be confirmed in a randomized controlled trial.