Intravenous hyperalimentation. Effect on delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity in cancer patients.

Effects of nutritional repletion with intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) on sequential skin test reactivity were evaluated in 160 malnourished cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (76 patients), surgery (49 patients), radiation therapy (20 patients) and supportive care (15 patients). In the chemotherapy group, 45 patients had negative reactions initially, and 25 patients (55%) had at least one skin test convert to positive in an average period of 19 days of IVH. In the surgery group, 23 patients (46%) were initially positive and remained positive, 13 patients (24%) converted from negative to positive, and 13 patients (30%) remained negative or converted to negative. Postoperative complications occurred in 25% of positive reactors, compared with 69% (p < 0.01) of negative reactors. In the radiation therapy group, the skin tests of six patients (30%) remained positive, three patients (15%) converted from negative to positive and the skin tests of nine patients (45%) remained negative. In the supportive care group, the skin tests of 73% of the patients either remained positive or converted to positive with IVH within an average period of 11 days of treatment. Nutritional therapy with IVH was associated with restored skin test reactivity in 51% of malnourished cancer patients undergoing oncologic therapy. Radiation therapy was generally immunosuppressive despite adequate nutritional repletion. In surgical patients, positive skin test reactivity correlated directly with a favorable response to operative therapy.