Early implementation of a perioperative nutrition support pathway for patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

Core elements and principles of nutrition models of care for people with cancer: A scoping review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The development and implementation of evidence-based cancer nutrition models of care into clinical practice is challenging and pragmatic guidance is lacking. This scoping review aimed to identify the core elements and principles of nutrition models of care for people with cancer.

METHODS

MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL and Embase were systematically searched between 1 January 2003-8 November 2023. Studies were eligible for inclusion and data extraction if they reported on the implementation or evaluation of a nutrition model of care for adults with any cancer diagnosis. The protocol was prospectively registered on Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RQVHJ) on 7 November 2023.

RESULTS

The search identified 4599 papers, 28 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies were primarily conducted in Australia (71.4 %), within a hospital (96.4 %), metropolitan setting (89.3 %) and with various cancer diagnoses. Most studies described a nutrition screening process and 50 % used a valid and reliable assessment tool. Studies described provision of direct care by the dietitian (n = 26), primarily conducted in the outpatient setting (n = 26) and lesser in the inpatient setting (n = 12), and frequently face-to-face (n = 25) [phone (n = 14), telehealth (n = 3)]. Ten core elements were identified that underpinned the models of care including: timely care driven by a care pathway, protocol or clinic (100.0 %); nutrition expertise and leadership (100.0 %); flexible and integrated (100.0 %); with multi-directional communication (96.4 %); accessible (92.9 %); stratified by risk (89.3 %); multidisciplinary engagement (85.7 %); across different care time-points and settings (85.7 %); supported by training/education (50.0 %) and data integration (25.0 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Nutrition expert-led cancer nutrition models of care literature was primarily limited to metropolitan, hospital settings and many lacked valid nutrition assessment tools. Ten core elements were identified that underpinned nutrition care, with the most utilised being: timely care driven by a care pathway, protocol or clinic; nutrition expert-led; flexible and integrated; with multi-directional communication; accessible; and stratified by risk. There is great potential for an evidence-based model of nutrition care to improve the implementation and embedding of high-quality nutrition elements into the cancer pathway.

Advances in the Surgical Management of Esophageal Cancer

Radical esophagectomy with two or three-field lymphadenectomy remains the mainstay of curative treatment for localized esophageal cancer, often in combination with systemic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. In this article, we describe notable advances in the surgical management of esophageal cancer over the past decade that have led to an improvement in both surgical and oncologic outcomes. In addition, we discuss new approaches to surgical management currently under investigation that have the potential to offer further benefits to appropriately selected patients. These incremental breakthroughs primarily include advances in endoscopic and minimally invasive techniques, perioperative management protocols, as well as the application of local therapies, including surgery, to oligometastatic disease.

Prognostic value of Controlling Nutritional Status score for postoperative complications and biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Background

Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score was used for screening the preoperative nutritional status. The correlation between the CONUT score and the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) has yet to be elucidated. Herein, we analyzed the prognostic value of CONUT scores in patients with PCa who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Materials and methods

Data of 244 patients were retrospectively evaluated. Perioperative variables and follow-up data were analyzed. The patients were categorized into 2 groups according to their preoperative CONUT scores. Postoperative complication and incontinence rates were also compared. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the median biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS) between the 2 groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify the potential prognostic factors for BCRFS.

Results

Patients were categorized into the low-CONUT group (CONUT score <3, n = 207) and high-CONUT group (CONUT score ≥3, n = 37). The high-CONUT group had a higher overall complication rate (40.5% vs.19.3%, p = 0.004), a higher major complication rate (10.8% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.013), and longer postoperative length of stay (8 days vs. 7 days, p = 0.017). More fever, urinary infection, abdominal infection, scrotal edema, rash, and hemorrhagic events (all p values < 0.05) were observed in the high-CONUT group. A higher rate of urinary incontinence was observed in the high-CONUT group at 1 (34.4% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.030) and 3 months (24.1% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.023) postoperatively. The high-CONUT group had shorter medium BCRFS (23.8 months vs. 54.6 months, p = 0.029), and a CONUT score ≥3 was an independent risk factor for a shorter BCRFS (hazards ratio, 1.842; p = 0.026).

Conclusions

The CONUT score is a useful predictive tool for higher postoperative complication rates and shorter BCRFS in patients with PCa who undergo laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

[Malnutrition management of hospitalized patients with diabetes/hyperglycemia un the perioperative setting]

Introduction

People with diabetes are at high risk of requiring surgical intervention throughout their lives, and of perioperative complications in case of poor metabolic control. Hospitalization represents a stressful event that, together with other factors associated with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, leads to a deterioration in the nutritional status of the patients. An association between poor nutritional status and adverse outcomes in surgical patients has been observed. This article describes the results of the expert consensus and the responses of the panelists on the nutritional management in routine clinical practice of patients with diabetes/hyperglycemia hospitalized (non-critically ill) in the perioperative setting.

A Multi-Site, International Audit of Malnutrition Risk and Energy and Protein Intakes in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Head Neck and Esophageal Cancer: Results from INFORM

Patients with foregut tumors are at high risk of malnutrition. Nutrition care focuses on identifying individuals at risk of malnutrition and optimizing nutrient intake to promote the maintenance of body weight and lean body mass. This multi-center prospective, longitudinal study audited nutrition care practices related to screening for risk of malnutrition (Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form; PG-SGA SF), and nutrition interventions prescribed (route; adequacy of energy and protein intakes). Audits occurred at four time periods: baseline (before treatment) and at 2, 4, and 6 months after starting cancer treatment; 170 patients (esophageal (ESO; n = 51); head and neck (HN; n = 119)) were enrolled. Nutrition risk (PG-SGA SF score ≥ 4) was prevalent at every time period: HN (baseline: 60%; 6 months 66%) and ESO (77%; 72%). Both groups had significant (p < 0.001) weight losses over the 6 month audit period (HN = 13.2% ESO = 11.4%). Enteral nutrition (EN) was most likely to be prescribed at 2 months for HN and at 4 and 6 months for ESO. Target prescribed energy and protein intakes were not met with any nutrition intervention; although adequacy was highest for those receiving EN. Nutrition care practices differed for HN and ESO cancers and there may be time points when additional nutrition support is needed.