Skip to main content
Log in

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

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Esophagus Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lerut T, Moons J, Coosemans W, et al. Postoperative complications after transthoracic esophagectomy for cancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction are correlated with early cancer recurrence: role of systematic grading of complications using the modified Clavien classification. Ann Surg. 2009;250(5):798–807.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Matsubara T, Ueda M, Nagao N, et al. Surgical treatment for carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus with major involvement in the neck or upper mediastinum. J Surg Oncol. 1998;67(1):6–10.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Igaki H, Tachimori Y, Kato H. Improved survival for patients with upper and/or middle mediastinal lymph node metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lower thoracic esophagus treated with 3-field dissection. Ann Surg. 2004;239(4):483–90.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Sato N, Koeda K, Ikeda K, et al. Randomized study of the benefits of preoperative corticosteroid administration on the postoperative morbidity and cytokine response in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer. Ann Surg. 2002;236(2):184–90.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Kooguchi K, Kobayashi A, Kitamura Y, et al. Elevated expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and inflammatory cytokines in the alveolar macrophages after esophagectomy. Crit Care Med. 2002;30(1):71–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. van Sandick JW, Gisbertz SS, ten Berge IJ, et al. Immune responses and prediction of major infection in patients undergoing transhiatal or transthoracic esophagectomy for cancer. Ann Surg. 2003;237(1):35–43.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Okamura A, Takeuchi H, Matsuda S, et al. Factors affecting cytokine change after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2015;22(9):3130–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dabrowska AM, Slotwinski R. The immune response to surgery and infection. Central Eur J Immunol. 2014;39(4):532–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kobayashi K, Koyama Y, Kosugi S, et al. Is early enteral nutrition better for postoperative course in esophageal cancer patients? Nutrients. 2013;5(9):3461–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Palanivelu C, Prakash A, Senthilkumar R, et al. Minimally invasive esophagectomy: thoracoscopic mobilization of the esophagus and mediastinal lymphadenectomy in prone position—experience of 130 patients. J Am Coll Surg. 2006;203(1):7–16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Biere SS, van Berge Henegouwen MI, Maas KW, et al. Minimally invasive versus open oesophagectomy for patients with oesophageal cancer: a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet (London, England). 2012;379(9829):1887–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Li C, Ferri LE, Mulder DS, et al. An enhanced recovery pathway decreases duration of stay after esophagectomy. Surgery. 2012;152(4):606–14 (discussion 14–6).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Weijs TJ, Dieleman JM, Ruurda JP, et al. The effect of perioperative administration of glucocorticoids on pulmonary complications after transthoracic oesophagectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2014;31(12):685–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Shimizu K, Ogura H, Goto M, et al. Altered gut flora and environment in patients with severe SIRS. J Trauma. 2006;60(1):126–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Wiest R, Garcia-Tsao G. Bacterial translocation (BT) in cirrhosis. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md). 2005;41(3):422–33.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Deitch EA, Bridges RM. Effect of stress and trauma on bacterial translocation from the gut. J Surg Res. 1987;42(5):536–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Mizuno T, Yokoyama Y, Nishio H, et al. Intraoperative bacterial translocation detected by bacterium-specific ribosomal rna-targeted reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for the mesenteric lymph node strongly predicts postoperative infectious complications after major hepatectomy for biliary malignancies. Ann Surg. 2010;252(6):1013–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Nishigaki E, Abe T, Yokoyama Y, et al. The detection of intraoperative bacterial translocation in the mesenteric lymph nodes is useful in predicting patients at high risk for postoperative infectious complications after esophagectomy. Ann Surg. 2014;259(3):477–84.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Takechi H, Mawatari K, Harada N, et al. Glutamine protects the small intestinal mucosa in anticancer drug-induced rat enteritis model. J Med Investig (JMI). 2014;61(1–2):59–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. van der Hulst RR, von Meyenfeldt MF, Tiebosch A, et al. Glutamine and intestinal immune cells in humans. JPEN J Parenter Enter Nutr. 1997;21(6):310–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Chun H, Sasaki M, Fujiyama Y, et al. Effect of enteral glutamine on intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation after abdominal radiation injury in rats. J Gastroenterol. 1997;32(2):189–95.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Hardy H, Harris J, Lyon E, et al. Probiotics, prebiotics and immunomodulation of gut mucosal defences: homeostasis and immunopathology. Nutrients. 2013;5(6):1869–912.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Rice TW, Rusch VW, Ishwaran H, et al. Cancer of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction: data-driven staging for the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer/International Union Against Cancer Staging Manuals. Cancer. 2010;116(16):3763–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Dindo D, Demartines N, Clavien PA. Classification of surgical complications: a new proposal with evaluation in a cohort of 6336 patients and results of a survey. Ann Surg. 2004;240(2):205–13.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Joo E, Muraoka A, Hamasaki A, et al. Enteral supplementation with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide modulates incretin and glucagon-like peptide-2 secretion. J Diabetes Investig. 2015;6(3):302–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Iyama S, Sato T, Tatsumi H, et al. Efficacy of enteral supplementation enriched with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide on mucosal injury following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Case Rep Oncol. 2014;7(3):692–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Higashiguchi TIA, Futamura A, Kodama Y, et al. Effects of GFO on the pathological and functional changes in the intestinal mucosa associated with total parenteral nutrition in rats. Jpn J Surg Metab Nutr. 2009;43:51–60.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Marton S, Ghosh S, Papp A, et al. Effect of glutamine in patients with esophagus resection. Dis Esophagus. 2010;23(2):106–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. van Zanten AR, Dhaliwal R, Garrel D, et al. Enteral glutamine supplementation in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Care. 2015;19:294.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Gibson GR, Roberfroid MB. Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota: introducing the concept of prebiotics. J Nutr. 1995;125(6):1401–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Sugawara G, Nagino M, Nishio H, et al. Perioperative synbiotic treatment to prevent postoperative infectious complications in biliary cancer surgery: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Surg. 2006;244(5):706–14.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Tanaka K, Yano M, Motoori M, et al. Impact of perioperative administration of synbiotics in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy: a prospective randomized controlled trial. Surgery. 2012;152(5):832–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Yokoyama Y, Nishigaki E, Abe T, et al. Randomized clinical trial of the effect of perioperative synbiotics versus no synbiotics on bacterial translocation after oesophagectomy. Br J Surg. 2014;101(3):189–99.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Reddy BS, Macfie J, Gatt M, et al. Randomized clinical trial of effect of synbiotics, neomycin and mechanical bowel preparation on intestinal barrier function in patients undergoing colectomy. Br J Surg. 2007;94(5):546–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Eguchi S, Takatsuki M, Hidaka M, et al. Perioperative synbiotic treatment to prevent infectious complications in patients after elective living donor liver transplantation: a prospective randomized study. Am J Surg. 2011;201(4):498–502.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Kenichi Yoshimura (Innovative Clinical Research Center, Kanazawa University) for guidance on statistical analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tetsuya Abe.

Ethics declarations

Ethical statement

This was a retrospective study approved by the review board of the Aichi Cancer Center Hospital.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Abe, T., Hosoi, T., Kawai, R. et al. Perioperative enteral supplementation with glutamine, fiber, and oligosaccharide reduces early postoperative surgical stress following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Esophagus 16, 63–70 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10388-018-0630-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10388-018-0630-z

Keywords

Navigation