[PERIOPERATIVE ORAL MANAGEMENT FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AND LUNG CANCER SURGERY]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Care
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Postoperative pneumonia is a significant risk following thoracic surgeries.
• Perioperative oral management (POM) has emerged as a strategy to mitigate this risk.
• Its effectiveness in esophageal and lung cancer patients requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of POM in reducing postoperative complications, specifically pneumonia, in surgically treated esophageal and lung cancer patients.
• To assess the impact of POM on hospital length of stay.
• To explore the role of oral care in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study comparing 100 esophageal and 100 lung cancer surgical patients with and without POM.
• Postoperative complications, particularly pneumonia, were analyzed.
• Length of hospital stay was a key outcome measure.

Main Results:

• In lung cancer patients, POM significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative pneumonia and shortened hospital stays.
• In esophageal cancer patients, pneumonia rates were low in both groups; however, POM's benefits may be linked to pre-existing oral care for mucositis.
• POM was found to be effective in preventing postoperative pneumonia across both patient groups.

Conclusions:

• Perioperative oral management is an effective strategy for preventing postoperative pneumonia in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery.
• Pre-operative oral care, particularly for esophageal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, contributes to preventing postoperative pneumonia.
• Implementing perioperative oral management is recommended for thoracic surgical oncology patients to improve outcomes.