[A randomized controlled trial of preoperative oral immunonutrition in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer: hospital stay and health care costs]

The Impact of Peri-operative Enteral Immunonutrition on Post-operative Complications in Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Immunonutrition (IMN) in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer surgery remains under-utilised and contentious. Despite previous meta-analysis reporting benefit, most recent randomised control trials (RCTs) have failed to demonstrate this and have recommended against its routine use. A contemporary meta-analysis may contribute to the recommendations for immunonutrition use and help select which patients may benefit. The objective of this study was to review IMN and its impact on post-operative outcomes in GI cancer surgery, exploring its role in both malnourished and non-malnourished populations, the optimal dose to use, cancer type of patients using IMN and the timing of IMN relative to the peri-operative period.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The EMBASE and Medline databases were searched from 2000 to 2022 for RCTs evaluating IMN in adults undergoing GI cancer surgery.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven studies were included (22 pre-operative IMN studies, 11 peri-operative IMN trials and 9 post-operative IMN trials; 4 trials had multiple IMN protocols) that reported on 3793 patients. The main outcome of post-operative infectious complications was reduced with IMN [odds ratio (OR) 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47-0.72]. This association was significant in subgroup analysis only with pre-operative and peri-operative administration and in trials including upper GI cancers, colorectal cancer and 'mixed GI' cancer populations, and significance was independent of nutritional status. IMN in pooled analysis reduced surgical site infection (SSI) (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52-0.81), anastomotic leak (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.47-0.93) and length of stay (LOS) by 1.94 days (95% CI - 3 to - 0.87).

CONCLUSION

Immunonutrition was associated with reduced post-operative complications. Peri-operative administration may be the preferred strategy in reducing infectious complications, anastomotic leak, SSI and LOS.

A Translational Randomized Trial of Perioperative Arginine Immunonutrition on Natural Killer Cell Function in Colorectal Cancer Surgery Patients

BACKGROUND

Surgery results in severe impairment of natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity (NKC) and activity (NKA, cytokine secretion), and a dramatic drop in arginine levels. Postoperative immunosuppression is associated with increased complications and recurrence. Perioperative arginine is reported to reduce postoperative complications. Because arginine modulates NK cell function, this study aimed to determine whether perioperative consumption of arginine-enriched supplements (AES) can improve NK cell function in colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery patients.

METHODS

This study randomized 24 CRC patients to receive the AES or isocaloric/isonitrogenous control supplement three times a day for five days before and after surgery. The AES contained 4.2 g of arginine per dose (12.6 g/day). The primary objective was to determine whether AES improved NKC by 50 % compared with the control group after surgery.

RESULTS

On surgery day (SD) 1, NKC was significantly reduced postoperatively in the control group by 50 % (interquartile range [IQR], 36-55 %; p = 0.02) but not in the AES group (25 % reduction; IQR, 28-75 %; p = 0.3). Furthermore, AES had no benefit in terms of NKA or NK cell number. Compliance was much greater preoperatively (>91 %) than postoperatively (<46 %). However, despite excellent preoperative compliance, arginine was rapidly cleared from the blood within 4 h after consumption and therefore, did not prevent the postoperative drop in arginine.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral consumption of arginine immunonutrition resulted in a modest improvement in NKC after surgery but was unable to prevent postoperative arginine depletion or the suppression of NKA (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02987296).

Pre-admission interventions (prehabilitation) to improve outcome after major elective surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the benefits and harms of pre-admission interventions (prehabilitation) on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing major elective surgery.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (published or unpublished). We searched Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, DARE, HTA and NHS EED, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsychINFO and ISI Web of Science (June 2020).

SETTING

Secondary care.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients (≥18 years) undergoing major elective surgery (curative or palliative).

INTERVENTIONS

Any intervention administered in the preoperative period with the aim of improving postoperative outcomes.

OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality, hospital length of stay (LoS) and postoperative complications. Secondary outcomes included LoS in intensive care unit or high dependency unit, perioperative morbidity, hospital readmission, postoperative pain, heath-related quality of life, outcomes specific to the intervention, intervention-specific adverse events and resource use.

REVIEW METHODS

Two authors independently extracted data from eligible RCTs and assessed risk of bias and the certainty of evidence using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to pool data across trials.

RESULTS

178 RCTs including eight types of intervention were included. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT), immunonutrition and multimodal interventions reduced hospital LoS (mean difference vs usual care: -1.81 days, 95% CI -2.31 to -1.31; -2.11 days, 95% CI -3.07 to -1.15; -1.67 days, 95% CI -2.31 to -1.03, respectively). Immunonutrition reduced infective complications (risk ratio (RR) 0.64 95% CI 0.40 to 1.01) and IMT, and exercise reduced postoperative pulmonary complications (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.80, and RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.75, respectively). Smoking cessation interventions reduced wound infections (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.64).

CONCLUSIONS

Some prehabilitation interventions may reduce postoperative LoS and complications but the quality of the evidence was low.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42015019191.

[de la evidencia y algoritmo adaptado Immunonutrition in fast-track surgical patients - Evidence review and adapted algorithm]

Introduction

Surgical stress predisposes patients to have immune dysfunction and an increased risk of infection. Malnourished surgical patients have higher postoperative morbidity and mortality rates, higher readmission rates, and higher hospital costs. The use of an immunomodulatory formula is associated in the ESPEN guidelines with a reduction in wound healing problems, suture failure, and infectious and global complications. Several authors have suggested that, since most clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of immunonutrition have been carried out in a traditional perioperative setting, it would be interesting to investigate its efficacy in a more controlled setting, such as in the ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol. The objective of this work was: a) to define the role that immunonutrition should play in ERAS protocols based on the best scientific evidence available; b) to analyze the difficulties that continue to exist in real-life clinical practice to screen the nutritional risk of patients; c) to make a proposal of algorithms adapted to the characteristics of our environment regarding the screening, assessment, and nutritional treatment of surgical patients in fast-track surgery.

Impact of oral preoperative and perioperative immunonutrition on postoperative infection and mortality in patients undergoing cancer surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

Background

Infectious complications occur in 4–22 per cent of patients undergoing surgical resection of malignant solid tumours. Improving the patient's immune system in relation to oncological surgery with immunonutrition may play an important role in reducing postoperative infections. A meta‐analysis was undertaken to evaluate the potential clinical benefits of immunonutrition on postoperative infections and 30‐day mortality in patients undergoing oncological surgery.

Methods

PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify eligible studies.

Eligible studies had to include patients undergoing elective curative surgery for a solid malignant tumour and receiving immunonutrition orally before surgery, including patients who continued immunonutrition into the postoperative period. The main outcome was overall infectious complications; secondary outcomes were surgical‐site infection (SSI) and 30‐day mortality, described by relative risk (RR) with trial sequential analysis (TSA). Risk of bias was assessed according to Cochrane methodology.

Results

Some 22 RCTs with 2159 participants were eligible for meta‐analysis. Compared with the control group, immunonutrition reduced overall infectious complications (RR 0·58, 95 per cent c.i. 0·48 to 0·70; I² = 7 per cent; TSA‐adjusted 95 per cent c.i. 0·28 to 1·21) and SSI (RR 0·65, 95 per cent c.i. 0·50 to 0·85; I² = 0 per cent; TSA‐adjusted 95 per cent c.i. 0·21 to 2·04). Thirty‐day mortality was not altered by immunonutrition (RR 0·69, 0·33 to 1·40; I² = 0 per cent).

Conclusion

Immunonutrition reduced overall infectious complications, even after controlling for random error, and also reduced SSI. The quality of evidence was moderate, and mortality was not affected by immunonutrition (low quality). Oral immunonutrition merits consideration as a means of reducing overall infectious complications after cancer surgery.