Clinical Significance of Weight Changes in Malnutrition After Oesophagectomy for Cancer

Abstract PurposeThis aim of study was to evaluate the potential effect of differences in body mass index (BMI) on nutritional status of patients after esophagectomy. METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the association of BMI changes associated with nutritional dysfunction among esophageal cancer patients who received R0 esophagectomy from 2018 to 2019. The odd ratio (ORs) of factors related to more than 15% weight loss compared with the body weight at the discovery of the esophageal cancer and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated via binary logistic regression models after adjusting possible confounders. RESULTSThis study included 145 patients with median age at surgery 59 (interquartile range [IQR] 28–81 years), 44 female (43.6%), and mean BMI 25.1 ± 5.3 Kg/m2 at the onset of the disease. At 1-year follow-up, 33 patients (22.8%) experienced ≥ 15% weight loss: 20 among the 52 patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and 13 among the 93 patients with BMI < 25 kg/m2 at the onset of the disease (P = 0.023). After adjustment for potential confounders, initial overweighting as well as advanced tumour p-stage were independent risk factors for higher risk of 1-year ≥ 15% weight loss (OR 2.07, 95%CI (1.39, 3.08); P=0.041; OR 2.58, 95% CI (1.64, 4.06); P=0.032). CONCLUSIONAssociation exists between overweighting at the onset of the disease and postoperative ≥ 15% weight loss risk in patients with oesophagectomy, highlighting the modulation and control of body weight to reduce the risk of malnutrition following oesophagectomy.