Comparison of Dietary Intake After Gastric Cancer Gastrectomy Between Patients With and Without Postoperative Surgical Complications.

Abstract

This study aimed to compare dietary intake (DI) after gastrectomy for gastric cancer between patients with (C group) and without (NC group) postoperative surgical complications. This prospective observational study enrolled patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer. DI was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire with 82 food items (FFQW82) during nutritional counseling before surgery and at one and three months after surgery. A total of 225 patients participated in this study. Of the 225 patients, 193 had no postoperative complications, and 32 had postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥2). The median DI at 1 month postoperatively was 1508 kcal/day in the NC group and 1,470.5 kcal/day in the C group (p=0.175). The median DI at 3 months postoperatively was 1,623 kcal/day in the NC group and 1575 kcal/day in the C group (p=0.473). There was a significant difference between the NC and C groups in the rate of decrease in DI at one month (median: -8.44% vs. -15.37%, p=0.032) and at three months postoperatively (median: -3.58% vs. -6.12%, p=0.038). There was a statistically significant difference in the rate of decrease in DI after gastrectomy between the C and NC groups at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. Our results suggest that patients with postoperative surgical complications require additional nutritional treatment for decreased DI.