Objective To analyze clinical value of early enteral nutrition following radical resection of gastric cancer. Methods Seventy-six patients with gastric cancer underwent radical resection from May 1, 2016 to July 1, 2016 in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University were included according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, then were randomly divided into observation group (36 cases) and control group (40 cases). The patients in the observation group received the enteral nutrition on day 2 following the surgery, in the control group received the conventional management. The gastrointestinal recovery and the adverse reaction were compared in these two groups. The preoperative and postoperative laboratory indicators and the body weight of the patients in both groups were analyzed. Results ① The general data such as age, gender, and body weight had no significant differences in these two groups (P>0.05). ② The first anus exhaust time and the first defecation time of the observation group were significantly shorter than those of the control group (P<0.05). ③ The adverse reaction rate of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). ④ On admission, the serum albumin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and lymphocyte count had no significant differences in these two groups (P>0.05). On day 5 after the operation, the serum albumin of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). ⑤ The body weight had no significant difference in these two groups before the operation (P>0.05), which in the observation group was significantly heavier than that of the control group on day 30 after the operation (P<0.05). Conclusion Preliminary results of limited cases in this study show that early enteral nutrition following radical resection of gastric cancer is safe and effective, it could promote gastrointestinal function resumption and effectively improve nutritional status.
ObjectiveTo assess the effect of chewing gum on the recovery of gastrointestinal function in postoperative colorectal cancer patients. MethodsA comprehensive search for relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted in domestic and international databases such as PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Periodicals Full-text Database, Wanfang data, and other databases, with a timeframe up to September 2023. The literature was screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and literature quality evaluation and data extraction were performed. The continuous variables were described using mean difference (95% confidence interval) and the binary variables were described using odds ratio (95% confidence interval). Test level was α=0.05. ResultsA total of 28 RCTs covering 2 523 postoperative colorectal cancer patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that the postoperative chewing gum significantly shortened the time to the first flatus [–11.99 (–14.45, –9.53)], the first defecation [–18.79 (–23.58, –14.00)], the first bowel sounds [–6.35 (–6.64, –6.06)] or the first starvation [–5.20 (–10.11, –0.28)], and the length of postoperative hospital stay [–1.35 (–1.99, –0.70)], as well as increased the serum gastrin level [23.70 (14.88, 32.53)]. Furthermore, it also reduced the incidence of postoperative complications, such as nausea [0.66 (0.48, 0.91)], abdominal distension [0.48 (0.35, 0.67)], and intestinal obstruction [0.34 (0.20, 0.59)]. However, there was a non-significant effect on vomiting [0.81 (0.60, 1.09)] or time to the first oral intake [–0.67 (–1.99, 0.65)]. ConclusionsFrom the results of this meta-analysis, postoperative gum chewing aids to the recovery of gastrointestinal function and reduces the risk of postoperative complications in colorectal cancer patients. Although further studies are needed to verify the long-term effects and the feasibility of clinical application, the results of this study provide an important empirical support for the use of gum chewing in the management of postoperative gastrointestinal function.