Potential benefits of early nutritional intervention in adults with upper gastrointestinal cancer: a pilot randomised trial

Purpose

This study aimed to test whether a very early nutrition intervention delivered over the telephone was feasible and could improve outcomes amongst patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods

Participants with a histologically proven new diagnosis of primary oesophageal or stomach cancer and who were to undergo surgery and/or chemotherapy were randomised to receive either standard nutrition care (SC) or early and intensive nutrition intervention (NI) over the telephone/face-to-face. Participants were followed for 6 months. The primary outcome was quality of life (QoL), assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Global Quality of Life questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the European Quality of Life Instrument (EQ-5D) tool; secondary outcomes were nutritional status and survival.

Results

Twenty-one participants were recruited (11 SC and 10 NI). At baseline, the prevalence of malnutrition was 90 %. Compared with SC, the NI group had a significantly higher EORTC global QoL score at the first mid-study follow-up (coefficient (95 % CI) 21.0 (12.1, 29.9) adjusted for baseline, p?p?p?p?p?=?0.06). The mean time spent with a dietitian per contact was significantly less for the NI group compared with SC (16(3) vs 40(6) min per dietetic contact, p?Conclusions This pilot study has shown the potential of a novel telephone-based early and intensive dietetic model of care for newly diagnosed upper gastrointestinal cancer patients.