Whole-course nutritional support therapy and indicators in head and neck cancer surgery

This study investigated the effect of continuous perioperative nutritional support provided by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to patients who underwent surgery for head and neck cancer (HNC).

This study enrolled 99 patients with HNC and divided them into two groups: a management group (n=48), comprising patients who underwent surgery between August and December 2020 and received continuous perioperative nutritional support from the MDT; and a control group (n=51), comprising patients who underwent surgery between June and December 2017 and received routine nutritional guidance. Data on weight, nutritional indicators, and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were collected. We compared the changes in weight, nutritional indicators, PNI, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) scores, and body composition. Factors influencing the PNI were analysed.

The minimum weight, nutritional indicator, and PNI values observed postoperatively and at discharge were lower than those observed at admission. The serum nutritional index values observed at discharge and minimum PNI values observed postoperatively and at discharge were higher in the management group than in the control group. The PG-SGA score at 2 weeks postoperatively was higher than that on the day of surgery in the management group. The discharge PNI was influenced by management and age in these HNC surgical patients. In the management group, body composition data did not differ significantly between the preoperative and 1-, 2-, and 3-week postoperative time points.

Continuous perioperative nutritional support by an MDT can improve the weight and serum nutritional index of patients receiving surgery for HNC and improve the PNI at discharge.