Trial reportBritish journal of cancer2017
Randomised controlled trial of early prophylactic feeding vs standard care in patients with head and neck cancer.
Trial report in British journal of cancer, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 35 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Study of Nutritional Status and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Common Malignancies
The Effects and Mechanisms of Short-Term Nutritional Enhancement Combined With Health Education on Clinical Outcomes in Postoperative Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A Multicenter, Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutritional management and oral health-related outcomes in head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy: a systematic review.BMC oral health · 2026Pooled it
- 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
- Malnutrition and radiation therapy in head and neck cancers, a systematic review on reported definitions and associated factors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence and Impact of Computed Tomography-Defined Sarcopenia on Survival in Patients with Human Papillomavirus-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Systematic Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2022Pooled it
- The changing face of head and neck cancer: are patients with human papillomavirus-positive disease at greater nutritional risk? A systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Pooled it
- Quality of Life of Cancer Patients Receiving Enteral Nutrition: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Compliance and Adherence to Enteral Nutrition Treatment in Adults: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Machine learning-based treatment outcome prediction in head and neck cancer using integrated noninvasive diagnostics.International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery · 2026Article
- Comparison of Prophylactic Versus Reactive Tube Feeding Approaches on Weight Loss and Unplanned Hospital Admissions in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Chemoradiotherapy.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Article
- Nutrition in head and neck cancer care: a roadmap and call for research.The Lancet. Oncology · 2025Review
- Review
- Revalidation of Proactive Gastrostomy Tube Placement Guidelines for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Helical Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Article
- The Effect of Hospital-Based Liquid Diet and Commercial Formulas on Laboratory Parameters and Postoperative Complications in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Oral Dysfunction in Patients with Oral Cancer Could Occur Before Treatment and Require Early Nutritional Improvement: A Cross-Sectional Study.Dysphagia · 2023Article
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia.Annals of rehabilitation medicine · 2023Article
- Impact of sarcopenia and myosteatosis on survival outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing curative-intent treatment.The British journal of nutrition · 2023Article
- Systematic Review of Nutrition Interventions to Improve Short Term Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.Cancers · 2023Review
- Nutritional counselling for head and neck cancer patients treated with (chemo)radiation therapy: why, how, when, and what?Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWeight loss remains significant in patients with head and neck cancer, despite prophylactic gastrostomy and intensive dietary counseling. The aim of this study was to improve outcomes utilising an early nutrition intervention.
methodsPatients with head and neck cancer at a tertiary hospital in Australia referred for prophylactic gastrostomy prior to curative intent treatment were eligible for this single centre randomised controlled trial. Exclusions included severe malnutrition or dysphagia. Patients were assigned following computer-generated randomisation sequence with allocation concealment to either intervention or standard care. The intervention group commenced supplementary tube feeding immediately following tube placement. Primary outcome measure was percentage weight loss at three months post treatment.
resultsRecruitment completed June 2015 with 70 patients randomised to standard care (66 complete cases) and 61 to intervention (56 complete cases). Following intention-to-treat analysis, linear regression found no effect of the intervention on weight loss (10.9±6.6% standard care vs 10.8±5.6% intervention, P=0.930) and this remained non-significant on multivariable analysis (P=0.624). No other differences were found for quality of life or clinical outcomes. No serious adverse events were reported.
conclusionsThe early intervention did not improve outcomes, but poor adherence to nutrition recommendations impacted on potential outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.