Perioperative enteral supplementation with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide reduces early postoperative surgical stress following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: We clarified the effects of perioperative enteral supplementation with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide (GFO) after an esophagectomy on preventing surgical stress.

METHODS: Of 326 patients with esophageal cancer, 189 received GFO administration (GFO group) and 137 did not (control group). The propensity score matching method was used to identify 89 well-balanced pairs of patients to compare postoperative laboratory parameters and clinical and postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS: The duration of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was significantly shorter in the GFO group compared to the control group (p = 0.002). Moreover, the lymphocyte/neutrophil ratio (L/N ratio) had significantly recovered in the GFO group on postoperative day-3, and the CRP value was significantly lower in the GFO group than that in the control group on postoperative day-2.

CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative use of enteral supplementation with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide likely contributes to a reduction in early surgical stress after an esophagectomy. These beneficial effects can bring about early recovery from postoperative immunosuppressive conditions after radical esophagectomy.