Impact of Amino Acids Nutrition Following Gastrectomy in Gastric Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Postoperative body weight loss (BWL) and skeletal muscle loss (SML) after gastrectomy are associated with a decline in quality of life and worse longterm prognosis in gastric cancer (GC) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of amino acids nutrition on BWL and SML in the early period following gastrectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The parameters of body composition were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis in the patients undergoing radical gastrectomy for GC and analyzed retrospectively. Patients received either peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN) of 4.3% glucose fluid with regular diet (control group, n=43) or PPN of 7.5% glucose fluid containing amino acids plus oral nutritional supplement (ONS) rich in protein with regular diet (amino acids group, n=40) following gastrectomy. The percentages of BWL and SML from preoperative values to those at 7 days and 1 month after surgery were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The %BWL and %SML at 7 days after surgery were significantly lower in the amino acids group than those in the control group (%BWL, -2.4±1.7% vs. -4.2±1.8%; p<0.0001, %SML, -4.1±3.8 vs. -6.5±3.8; p=0.006). Moreover, the %BWL at 1 month after surgery was significantly lower in the amino acids group compared to that in the control group (- 4.6±2.9% vs. -6.1±2.6%; p=0.01); however, the %SML was similar between the two groups. The hematological nutritional parameters were similar between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Amino acids nutrition by PPN and ONS following gastrectomy prevented postoperative BWL and SML in the early period after surgery in GC patients.