Major oncological surgery reduces muscular function in patients with or without nutritional risk.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate the impact of oncological surgical procedures on the muscle function of patients with and without nutritional risk.

METHODS: cross-sectional study conducted with cancer patients undergoing major operations between July 2018 to March 2019 in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Patients were assessed preoperatively for the nutritional risk by the Nutricional Risk Screening-2002, and handgrip strength (FPP) was assessed both on the pre- and 2nd and 5th postoperative days (PO).

RESULTS: 92 patients were evaluated, of whom 55.4% were men and 44.6% women, with a mean age (SD) of 64 (10.81) for patients at risk and 51 (12.99) for patients without nutritional risk. The preoperative nutritional risk evaluation indicated that 34.8% of the patients had no risk and 65.2% had a nutritional risk. The FPP was lower (p = 0.008) in the group with nutritional risk in the preoperative period. In both groups, there was a significant drop in FPP on the 2nd PO day. The preoperative FPP compared with the 2nd PO FPP was more pronounced in patients without nutritional risk (p = 0.039). Patients with nutritional risk had a longer hospital stay (p = 0.049).

CONCLUSION: surgical trauma causes loss of muscle function in the early PO. Patients without nutritional risk have a more significant decrease in muscle strength after surgical oncological procedures than those with nutritional risk. These results may infer the need to implement pre-habilitation in all patients who will undergo major oncological procedures.