Early dietitian support, satisfaction do not influence weight loss, NIS after oesophageal cancer surgery

Preoperative initiation of dietitian support and patient satisfaction level with dietitian support do not affect long-term postoperative weight loss and nutrition impact symptoms (NIS) in patients operated for oesophageal cancer, a study has found.

As oesophageal cancer is frequently accompanied with malnutrition, the authors has sought to evaluate if early support from dietitians and patient’s level of satisfaction with the support from dietitians are associated with better outcomes for weight loss and NIS. They conducted a nationwide and prospective cohort study on patients who underwent surgery for oesophageal cancer in Sweden from 2013 onwards.

Study exposures included preoperative dietitian support (yes or no) and patient-reported satisfaction with dietitian support (high or low), while outcomes included postoperative percentage weight loss and NIS score (range, 0–24) 1 year after surgery. An ANCOVA model adjusted for predefined confounders was used and presented as mean differences (MD) with 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs).

A total of 245 patients were analysed, of whom 57 percent had received preoperative dietitian support. Early dietitian support showed no correlation with statistically significant differences in mean postoperative weight loss (MD, 0.2, 95 percent CI, –2.6 to 2.9) and mean NIS score (MD, 0.1, 95 percent CI, –0.8 to 1.0).

Satisfaction with dietitian support also did not correlate with significant differences in mean postoperative weight loss (MD, 1.4, 95 percent CI, –1.5 to 4.3) and NIS score (MD, –0.1, 95 percent CI, –1 to 0.8).

“Similarity in results may reflect effective screening of malnutrition and dietitian support in centres treating oesophageal cancer in Sweden,” the authors said.