Perioperative Nutritional Treatment for Patients With Gastric Cancer: Focusing on Recent Controversial Issues

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally.
• Malnutrition is a common complication, worsening patient outcomes.
• Historically, nutritional support was often secondary to other treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical role of nutritional status in gastric cancer.
• To emphasize the shift towards perioperative nutritional treatment.
• To advocate for integrated nutritional and oncologic care.

Main Methods:

• Review of current evidence on nutritional support in gastric cancer.
• Analysis of the impact of malnutrition on treatment outcomes.
• Discussion of the paradigm shift towards proactive nutritional assessment and prehabilitation.

Main Results:

• Malnutrition leads to increased treatment toxicity, postoperative complications, and reduced survival.
• Proactive nutritional screening enables timely, individualized prehabilitation.
• Nutritional strategies are increasingly recognized as a therapeutic modality.

Conclusions:

• Advancements in nutritional science have transformed gastric cancer management.
• Tailored nutritional strategies are essential throughout the patient journey.
• A multidisciplinary approach, integrating oncologic and nutritional care, optimizes outcomes.