Goal-directed Enteral Nutritional Therapy for Malnourished Esophageal Cancer Patients During Perioperative Management

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating whether goal-directed nutritional therapy during the perioperative period can prevent postoperative lung and other serious complications in malnourished patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer. The study aims to determine if individualized nutrition support improves short-term surgical outcomes and long-term survival compared to conventional nutritional therapy. This is a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial focused on esophageal cancer patients at nutritional risk. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either supervised goal-directed enteral nutritional therapy, which includes homemade meals with or without ORAL IMPACT® tailored to daily energy goals, or conventional unsupervised enteral nutritional support without ORAL IMPACT®. The study compares these two nutritional approaches during the perioperative period, with neoadjuvant therapies allowed before surgery. During the study, researchers monitor rates of postoperative lung complications, unplanned hospital and ICU admissions, nutritional status markers like serum prealbumin and body mass index, and treatment-related adverse events up to three months after surgery. They also evaluate overall survival and disease-free survival over five years, along with health-related quality of life. Participants are followed closely to assess safety and effectiveness of the nutritional strategies.

Goal-directed Enteral Nutritional Perioperative Management