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Specialized Nutritional Support and Cancer
Author(s) -
Deitel Mervyn,
Vasic Vladimir,
Alexander Michael
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.935
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1941-2444
pISSN - 0148-6071
DOI - 10.1177/014860717800200509
Subject(s) - cancer , medicine , intensive care medicine
Over a 7 1/2‐year period, 94 cancer patients presenting considerable operative risk were managed by total parenteral nutrition (TPN). All were nutritionally depleted, had obstruction to the gastrointestinal tract or had postoperative complications such as enterocutaneous fistulas, evisceration or intra‐abdominal sepsis, which left TPN as the only means of achieving anabolism. When TPN was started preoperatively and continued postoperatively (28 patients–‐Group 1), no deaths or significant complications occurred. When TPN was first started after life‐threatening complications had occurred (58 patients–‐Group 2), the mortality was 17.2%, so that a high incidence of recovery was achieved. When TPN was used in inoperable cachectic patients (8 patients–‐Group 3) to enable them to tolerate radiotherapy or chemotherapy, the mortality was 37.5%. This latter group is small, but TPN is worthwhile in selected patients where significant palliation and improvement in the quality of life can occur. With careful technique, risk of sepsis with TPN was no greater than in noncancer patients.