Abstract
Patients undergoing major surgery for gastrointestinal cancer are at high risk of
developing or worsening malnutrition and sarcopenia. In malnourished patients, preoperative
nutritional support may not be sufficient and so postoperative support is advised.
This narrative review addresses several aspects of postoperative nutritional care
in the setting of enhanced recovery programmes. Early oral feeding, therapeutic diet,
oral nutritional supplements, immunonutrition, and probiotics are discussed. When
postoperative intake is insufficient, nutritional support favouring the enteral route
is recommended. Whether this approach should use a nasojejunal tube or jejunostomy
is still a matter of debate. In the setting of enhanced recovery programmes with early
discharge, nutritional follow-up and care should be continued beyond the short time
in hospital. In enhanced recovery programmes, the main specific aspects of nutrition
are patient education, early oral intake, and post-discharge care. The other aspects
do not differ from conventional care.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 07, 2023
Accepted:
March 3,
2023
Received:
March 3,
2023
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.
