Nutritional support post-discharge improves long-term outcomes after gastric cancer surgery

Nutritional support after hospital discharge, including oral supplements and dietary advice, significantly reduces long-term mortality and improves functional outcomes, such as handgrip strength, in patients at nutritional risk following gastric cancer surgery, according to a study.

The analysis, conducted on 321 individuals at nutritional risk from a randomized controlled trial, examined the impact of oral nutritional supplements combined with dietary advice versus dietary advice alone on long-term clinical outcomes.

With a median follow-up of 60.5 months, the study found that nutritional risk, as measured by the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002), was a significant independent predictor of mortality. Each 1-point increase in NRS score corresponded to a 30% higher risk of death. Patients receiving nutritional support experienced significantly lower mortality (39.5%) compared to the control group (50.9%), with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.69 (P = 0.026).

In addition to improved survival rates, the intervention group demonstrated better functional outcomes, including a notable increase in handgrip strength (adjusted coefficient 5.05, P < 0.001).

Reference
Tan S, Xi Q, Zhang Z, Yan M, Meng Q, Zhuang Q, Wu G. Nutritional support after hospital discharge reduces long-term mortality in patients after gastric cancer surgery: Secondary analysis of a prospective randomized trial. Nutrition. 2025;129:112597. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2024.112597. Epub 2024 Oct 9. PMID: 39541610.