[Relationship between Nutritional Biochemical Parameters and Body Weight Loss in Patients with Esophageal Cancer Up to One Year after Surgery].

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The subjects comprised 21 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgery, without adjuvant chemotherapy. Caloric intake, body weight loss, and biochemical parameters(serum albumin[Alb], hemoglobin[Hb], transthyretin[TTR], and total cholesterol[T-Cho])were measured up to 1 year after surgery, and relationships between all parameters were investigated.

RESULTS: The caloric intake dropped to about 87% of base-line intake at 1 month after surgery and recovered to 100% at 1 year after the operation. Body weight also dropped to about 89% of baseline at 6 months after surgery and then was relatively stable. Caloric intake was significantly positively correlated with TTR(r=0.82, p=0.02), and it also tended to be positively correlated with T-Cho(r=0.70, p=0.14). Body weight loss was significantly negatively correlated with Alb(r=-0.82, p=0.01)and Hb(r=-0.87, p=0.01).

CONCLUSION: Alb and Hb were recovered in the early postoperative period when body weight was still decreased. However, TTR appeared to be a good parameter of caloric intake in the short-term, postoperatively.