Optimizing nutritional support in upper gastrointestinal surgery: A comprehensive review of feeding jejunostomy...

This minireview synthesizes literature on the use of feeding jejunostomy tubes (FJTs) in the postoperative management of gastroesophageal cancer patients. Gastrectomy and esophagectomy remain the primary curative treatments for gastric and esophageal cancers, respectively, but are frequently accompanied by significant postoperative malnutrition, which adversely impacts surgical and oncological outcomes as well as patients' quality of life. To address this, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Surgery and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommend early enteral feeding through FJT placement following major surgery. While previous studies have demonstrated that FJT is an effective and reliable route for nutritional support, its placement is invasive and carries associated risks. Consequently, many clinicians opt for less invasive alternatives such as total parenteral nutrition or nasogastric tube feeding, although these approaches yield variable results. This review explores the benefits and potential complications of FJT placement, identifies variability in clinical adoption and the absence of standardized protocols, and highlights areas for future research to optimize patient care in this challenging context.