Effects of postoperative oral elemental nutritional supplement on skeletal muscle loss after gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background We previously showed that daily nutritional intervention with an oral elemental diet (ED) at 300 kcal/day for 6–8 weeks postoperatively decreased the percentage of body weight loss (%BWL), and that the effect was maintained for 1 year. This post hoc analysis aimed to determine whether this intervention decreased skeletal muscle mass loss 1-year post-gastrectomy. Methods Data from consecutive, untreated patients with histopathologically confirmed stage I–III gastric adenocarcinoma who planned to undergo total gastrectomy (TG) or distal gastrectomy (DG) and were enrolled in a previously published randomized trial were used. The primary endpoint was the percentage of skeletal muscle mass index (%SMI) loss from baseline at 1 year postoperatively, based on abdominal computed tomography images obtained preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. Results The overall median %SMI loss was lower in the ED versus control group, but the difference was not significant. The difference in %SMI loss in the ED and control groups was greater in patients with TG (10.1 vs. 13.0; P = 0.12) than in those with DG (5.5 vs. 6.8; P = 0.69). A correlation was observed between %BWL and %SMI loss in both groups (ED group, coefficient 0.591; control group, coefficient 0.644; P < 0.001 for both). Type of gastrectomy (coefficient 7.38; P = 0.001) and disease stage (coefficient − 6.43; P = 0.04) were independent predictors of postoperative skeletal muscle mass loss. Conclusion ED administration for 6–8 weeks following gastrectomy had no inhibitory effect on skeletal muscle loss at 1 year postoperatively.