94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Gastric and Esophageal Cancers
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1528783
Oral nutritional supplements improve postoperative nutritional status in gastric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Provisionally accepted- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) play an important role in nutritional therapy after gastrointestinal surgery. Although several studies have reported on the application of ONS in postoperative gastric cancer patients, the results are inconsistent. This review analyzes data based on the intervention group (participants receiving standard diet and ONS) and the control group (participants receiving only standard diet). Relevant data were extracted using Revman 5.4 software (Copenhagen: Nordic Cochrane Centre, Cochrane Collaboration, 2014). Meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trial data showed that, compared with regular oral diet, ONS significantly improved the nutritional status of patients: weight change (standardized) results indicated that ONS significantly reduced weight loss, with high heterogeneity between studies. Subgroup analysis further assessed energy intake in the ONS group. The results showed that in subgroups with energy intake ≥500 kcal/day and <500 kcal/day, the former displayed higher heterogeneity, while the latter showed no heterogeneity. Additionally, the ONS group significantly reduced weight loss, with significant heterogeneity. The percentage of weight loss was reduced with heterogeneity. Hemoglobin levels were significantly increased with low heterogeneity. Albumin levels in gastric cancer patients increased after discharge, with low heterogeneity. The ONS group showed an increase in lymphocyte count, with no heterogeneity. ONS significantly improved the total protein levels in both groups, with low heterogeneity. Furthermore, ONS was more likely to improve quality of life, with significant heterogeneity. Total cholesterol levels in the ONS group were significantly higher than in the control group, with significant heterogeneity. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the ONS group and the control group, with no heterogeneity. The incidence of adverse events also showed no statistical difference, with no heterogeneity.
Keywords: oral nutritional supplements, gastric cancer, Gastrectomy, Body Weight, Solid tumor
Received: 15 Nov 2024; Accepted: 17 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Shang, Yang, Feng, Tian and Jing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Changqing Jing, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.