[Nutritional research on esophageal cancer patients]

A study was made of the food status of patients afflicted with carcinoma of the esophagus and cardia with metastasis to the esophagus and of the efficacy of the use of enteral nutrition and protein hydrolysates in addition to the basic nutrition. Altogether 79 patients were examined. They were distributed into 2 groups: the main and reference. The main group patients received enteral nutrition (60 to 200 g) and protein hydrolysate (30 to 70 g) in addition to the conventional hospital diet and occasional parcels. The reference group patients given neither enteral nutrition nor protein hydrolysate. Were examined for factual nutrition, anthropometric parameters, nitrogen balance, total urine nitrogen, basic metabolism, blood biochemistry and morphology. It has been shown that nutrition of this patients' group was inadequate with emphasis on high effectiveness of enteral nutrition and protein hydrolysates.