Trial reportEuropean journal of clinical nutrition2002
Postsurgery enteral nutrition in head and neck cancer patients.
Trial report in European journal of clinical nutrition, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guidelines for nutrition in adults with head and neck cancer: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition · 2026Guideline
- The impact of immunonutrition in head and neck cancer surgery: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Acta otorhinolaryngologica Italica : organo ufficiale della Societa italiana di otorinolaringologia e chirurgia cervico-facciale · 2025Pooled it
- Immunonutrition for patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Immunonutrition before and during radiochemotherapy: improvement of inflammatory parameters in head and neck cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2012Trial
- Clinical and biochemical outcomes after a randomized trial with a high dose of enteral arginine formula in postsurgical head and neck cancer patients.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2007Trial
- Immunoenhanced enteral nutrition, effect on inflammatory markers in head and neck cancer patients.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2005Trial
- Randomized clinical trial with an enteral arginine-enhanced formula in early postsurgical head and neck cancer patients.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2004Trial
- Review
- The Role of Dietary Fibre in Enteral Nutrition in Sepsis Prevention and Therapy: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Oral nutritional supplements for preventing surgical site infections: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2020Article
- Effect of preoperative immunonutrition on complications after salvage surgery in head and neck cancer.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale · 2019Article
- Preoperative Immunonutrition and Elective Colorectal Resection Outcomes.Diseases of the colon and rectum · 2017Article
- The Efficacy of Oral Nutritional Intervention in Malnourished Cancer Patients: a Systemic Review.Clinical nutrition research · 2016Review
- Should perioperative immunonutrition for elective surgery be the current standard of care?Gastroenterology report · 2016Review
- Micronutrients, Arginine, and Glutamine: Does Supplementation Provide an Efficient Tool for Prevention and Treatment of Different Kinds of Wounds?Advances in wound care · 2014Review
- Factors affecting wound complications in head and neck surgery: A prospective study.Indian journal of medical and paediatric oncology : official journal of Indian Society of Medical & Paediatric Oncology · 2013Article
- The introducer technique is the optimal method for placing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes in head and neck cancer patients.Surgical endoscopy · 2007Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePatients with head and neck cancer undergoing surgery have a high incidence of postoperative complications. The aim of our study was to investigate whether postoperative nutrition of head and neck cancer patients, using an arginine-enriched diet, could improve nutritional variables as well as clinical outcomes.
designRandomized clinical trial.
settingTertiary care. SUBJECTS: A population of 47 patients with oral and laryngeal cancer were enrolled.
interventionsAt surgery patients were randomly allocated to two groups: (a) patients receiving an enteral diet supplemented with arginine and fiber (group I); (b) patients receiving an isocaloric, isonitrogenous enteral formula (group II).
resultsNo significant intergroup differences in the trend of the three plasma proteins and lymphocytes were detected. Gastrointestinal tolerance (diarrhea) of both formulas was good (17.4% group I and 8.3% group II; NS). During the 3 months after hospital discharge five patients died; no differences were detected between groups (13% group I and 8.3% group II; NS). The incidences postoperative infection complications were similar (nine patients) in both groups (21.7% group I and 16.7% group II; NS). Fistula were less frequent in enriched nutrition group (0% group I and 20.8% group II; P<0.05); wound infection was more frequent in group II, but without statistical difference (4.3% group I and 12.5% group II; NS). The length of postoperative stay was 22.8+/-11.8 days in the enriched group and 31.2+/-19.1 days in the control group (P=0.07).
conclusionsIn conclusion, enriched formula improves local wound complications in postoperative head and neck cancer patients. Our results suggest that these patients could benefit from an immunonutrient-enhanced enteral formula.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.