Nutrition and cancer
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Nutrition and cancer · Apr 2017
Association Between Preoperative Nutritional Status and Postoperative Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.
Head and neck cancer patients treated with surgery often experience significant postoperative morbidities. Administering preoperative nutritional intervention may improve surgical outcomes, but there is currently a paucity of data reviewing the association between preoperative nutritional status and postoperative outcome. It is therefore of importance to investigate this association among head and neck cancer patients. ⋯ A higher preoperative albumin level was associated with lower rates of postoperative complications and better wound healing (P < 0.05). In contrast, preoperative body mass index, hemoglobin level, and absolute lymphocyte count did not demonstrate significant associations with postoperative outcome. As high albumin levels are associated with better surgical outcome in head and neck cancer patients, preoperative intervention strategies that boost albumin levels could be considered for improving surgical outcome.