Age Nutrition Chirugie (ANC) study: impact of a geriatric intervention on the screening and management of undernutrition in elderly patients operated on for colon cancer, a stepped wedge controlled trial

The application of stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial study designs in oncology settings: A systematic review

Stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trials (SW-CRTs) offer advantages for implementation research in healthcare and have been increasingly utilised in the oncology setting. Cancer-related SW-CRTs need to be robust to deliver impactful trial outcomes and support effective translation into practice. This review aimed to examine the application of the SW-CRT design in oncology settings including the trial design features and protocol deviations, the interventions tested, and the implementation aspects of those interventions. Five databases were searched from database inception to July 2023 for SW-CRTs which evaluated interventions in adults with cancer. Intervention characteristics, design features, protocol deviations, statistical approach, implementation strategies, and outcomes were described and evaluated narratively. The search yielded 3395 unique records with representing 15 trials which are reported over 49 publications. The 15 trials (n = 8 efficacy trials and n = 7 implementation trials) described diverse interventions in healthcare settings. Trials supported implementation of the intervention via educating and training healthcare professionals (n = 12; 80 %), met or exceeded recruitment targets (n = 10, 67 %) and evaluated a new model of care (n = 7; 47 %). Despite implementation outcomes being reported in 14 (93 %) trials, 12 (86 %) did not use an established evaluation framework to guide the selection and reporting of implementation outcomes. SW-CRTs were a utilised design for implementing diverse and complex healthcare interventions in the oncology setting. Trialists should consider the need to incorporate implementation frameworks, strategies and outcomes into their trial planning and resource allocation. This strategic approach can enhance the design and impact of SW-CRTs, leading to improved patient outcomes and advancements in cancer care.

Nutrition Risk Screening and Related Factors Analysis of Non-hospitalized Cancer Survivors: A Nationwide Online Survey in China

Purposes

This study investigated the nutritional problems and risks of Chinese non-hospitalized cancer survivors through an online survey.

Methods

The survey included nutritional and clinical questions distributed to non-hospitalized cancer survivors. All data were screened and analyzed with strict quality control. Nutrition Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) was adopted and the related factors were analyzed.

Results

Six thousand six hundred eighty-five questionnaires were included. The prevalence of nutritional risk was 33.9%, which varied according to age, sex, cancer type, TNM staging, oncologic treatment, time interval since last treatment, etc. In the regression analysis, nutritional risk was associated with age, TNM staging, and nutrition support. Patients with leukemia and digestive cancer had the highest NRS-2002 score (3.33 ± 1.45 and 3.25 ± 1.61); the prevalence of nutritional risk (NRS-2002 ≥ 3) was 66.7 and 55.1%, respectively. Patients with a higher TNM stage had higher NRS-2002 scores in non-digestive cancer, which was not seen in digestive cancer. Among digestive, bone, nervous, and respiratory cancer patients, the NRS-2002 score mainly consisted of “impaired nutritional status,” which coincided with the “disease severity score” in leukemia patients. Nutrition intervention was achieved in 79.7 and 15.2% of patients with nutritional risk and no risk. Of the patients, 60.3% exhibited confusion about nutritional problems, but only 25.1% had professional counseling.

Conclusions

Regular nutritional risk screening, assessment, and monitoring are needed to cover non-hospitalized cancer survivors to provide nutrition intervention for better clinical outcome and quality of life. By online survey, the nutritional risk of non-hospitalized cancer survivors was found high in China, but the nutrition support or professional consultation were not desirable. The composition of nutritional risk should also be aware of.

Dietary advice with or without oral nutritional supplements for disease-related malnutrition in adults

BACKGROUND

Disease-related malnutrition has been reported in 10% to 55% of people in hospital and the community and is associated with significant health and social-care costs. Dietary advice (DA) encouraging consumption of energy- and nutrient-rich foods rather than oral nutritional supplements (ONS) may be an initial treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To examine evidence that DA with/without ONS in adults with disease-related malnutrition improves survival, weight, anthropometry and quality of life (QoL).

SEARCH METHODS

We identified relevant publications from comprehensive electronic database searches and handsearching. Last search: 01 March 2021.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of DA with/without ONS in adults with disease-related malnutrition in any healthcare setting compared with no advice, ONS or DA alone.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently assessed study eligibility, risk of bias, extracted data and graded evidence.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 94, mostly parallel, RCTs (102 comparisons; 10,284 adults) across many conditions possibly explaining the high heterogeneity.  Participants were mostly older people in hospital, residential care and the community, with limited reporting on their sex. Studies lasted from one month to 6.5 years.  DA versus no advice - 24 RCTs (3523 participants) Most outcomes had low-certainty evidence. There may be little or no effect on mortality after three months, RR 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26 to 2.96), or at later time points. We had no three-month data, but advice may make little or no difference to hospitalisations, or days in hospital after four to six months and up to 12 months. A similar effect was seen for complications at up to three months, MD 0.00 (95% CI -0.32 to 0.32) and between four and six months. Advice may improve weight after three months, MD 0.97 kg (95% CI 0.06 to 1.87) continuing at four to six months and up to 12 months; and may result in a greater gain in fat-free mass (FFM) after 12 months, but not earlier. It may also improve global QoL at up to three months, MD 3.30 (95% CI 1.47 to 5.13), but not later. DA versus ONS - 12 RCTs (852 participants) All outcomes had low-certainty evidence. There may be little or no effect on mortality after three months, RR 0.66 (95% CI 0.34 to 1.26), or at later time points. Either intervention may make little or no difference to hospitalisations at three months, RR 0.36 (95% CI 0.04 to 3.24), but ONS may reduce hospitalisations up to six months. There was little or no difference between groups in weight change at three months, MD -0.14 kg (95% CI -2.01 to 1.74), or between four to six months. Advice (one study) may lead to better global QoL scores but only after 12 months. No study reported days in hospital, complications or FFM. DA versus DA plus ONS - 22 RCTs (1286 participants) Most outcomes had low-certainty evidence. There may be little or no effect on mortality after three months, RR 0.92 (95% CI 0.47 to 1.80) or at later time points. At three months advice may lead to fewer hospitalisations, RR 1.70 (95% CI 1.04 to 2.77), but not at up to six months. There may be little or no effect on length of hospital stay at up to three months, MD -1.07 (95% CI -4.10 to 1.97). At three months DA plus ONS may lead to fewer complications, RR 0.75 (95% CI o.56 to 0.99); greater weight gain, MD 1.15 kg (95% CI 0.42 to 1.87); and better global QoL scores, MD 0.33 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.57), but this was not seen at other time points. There was no effect on FFM at three months. DA plus ONS if required versus no advice or ONS - 31 RCTs (3308 participants) Evidence was moderate- to low-certainty. There may be little or no effect on mortality at three months, RR 0.82 (95% CI 0.58 to 1.16) or at later time points. Similarly, little or no effect on hospitalisations at three months, RR 0.83 (95% CI 0.59 to 1.15), at four to six months and up to 12 months; on days in hospital at three months, MD -0.12 (95% CI -2.48 to 2.25) or for complications at any time point. At three months, advice plus ONS probably improve weight, MD 1.25 kg (95% CI 0.73 to 1.76) and may improve FFM, 0.82 (95% CI 0.35 to 1.29), but these effects were not seen later. There may be little or no effect of either intervention on global QoL scores at three months, but advice plus ONS may improve scores at up to 12 months. DA plus ONS versus no advice or ONS - 13 RCTs (1315 participants) Evidence was low- to very low-certainty. There may be little or no effect on mortality after three months, RR 0.91 (95% CI 0.55 to 1.52) or at later time points. No study reported hospitalisations and there may be little or no effect on days in hospital after three months, MD -1.81 (95% CI -3.65 to 0.04) or six months. Advice plus ONS may lead to fewer complications up to three months, MD 0.42 (95% CI 0.20 to 0.89) (one study). Interventions may make little or no difference to weight at three months, MD 1.08 kg (95% CI -0.17 to 2.33); however, advice plus ONS may improve weight at four to six months and up to 12 months. Interventions may make little or no difference in FFM or global QoL scores at any time point.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found no evidence of an effect of any intervention on mortality. There may be weight gain with DA and with DA plus ONS in the short term, but the benefits of DA when compared with ONS are uncertain. The size and direction of effect and the length of intervention and follow-up required for benefits to emerge were inconsistent for all other outcomes.  There were too few data for many outcomes to allow meaningful conclusions. Studies focusing on both patient-centred and healthcare outcomes are needed to address the questions in this review.

Impact of a Geriatric Intervention to Improve Screening and Management of Undernutrition in Older Patients Undergoing Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: Results of the ANC Stepped-Wedge Trial

Almost two in three patients who are aged 75 years and older and scheduled for surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) are undernourished. Despite evidence that perioperative nutritional management can improve patients outcomes, international guidelines are still insufficiently applied in current practice. In this stepped-wedge cluster-randomized study of five surgical hospitals, we included 147 patients aged 70 years or older with scheduled abdominal surgery for CRC between October 2013 and December 2016. In the intervention condition, an outreach team comprising a geriatrician and a dietician visited patients and staff in surgical wards to assist with the correct application of guidelines. Evaluation, diagnosis, and prescription (according to nutritional status) were considered appropriate and strictly consistent with guidelines in 39.2% of patients in the intervention group compared to only 1.4% in the control group (p = 0.0002). Prescription of oral nutritional supplements during the perioperative period was significantly improved (41.9% vs. 4.1%; p < 0.0001). However, there were no benefits of the intervention on surgical complications or adverse events. A possible benefit of hospital stay reduction will need to be confirmed in further studies. This study highlights the importance of the implementation of quality improvement interventions into current practice for the perioperative nutritional management of older patients with CRC.

Guidelines for parenteral and enteral nutrition in geriatric patients in China

Based on the expert consensus on parenteral and enteral nutrition support for geriatric patients in China in 2013, domestic multidisciplinary experts were gathered to summarize the new evidence in the field of elderly nutritional support at home and abroad. The 2013 consensus was comprehensively updated and upgraded to a guideline by referring to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system for grading evidence. These guidelines were divided into two parts: general conditions and common diseases. After discussion by all members of the academic group and consultation with relevant experts, 60 recommendations were ultimately established as standardized nutritional support in the field of geriatrics in China.

[Multidisciplinary and systematic preoperatory-assessment in geriatric urologic oncology surgery: Feasibility and results]

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of cancer increases with age, especially for urological cancers. The frailty of the elderly persons may expose them to more postoperative complications resulting in prolonged hospitalization, increased morbidity or even increased mortality, and delayed or impossible return to normal life. In such cases, the benefit of surgery and therefore its realization can be questioned.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

This article reports the experience of a pre-operative risk assessment in a population of elderly patients treated for urologic cancer. This retrospective study aims to report the feasibility and the main results of this systematic preoperative multi-professional evaluation.

RESULTS

Between April 2016 and February 2017, 31 elderly patients were evaluated. The evaluation revealed: moderate to severe malnutrition in 59 % of cases, a patient judged from a geriatric point of view fit, intermediate or fragile in respectively 25 %, 35 % and 40 % of cases. This evaluation led to propose a modification of an element of care for 66 % of patients and to propose therapeutic abstention for only 3 patients.

CONCLUSION

An evaluation whose purpose is to adapt to the physiological age of patients and their overall state of health, surgical treatment and postoperative management is feasible and seems to help unmask elements of fragility usually not detected.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4.

ESPEN expert group recommendations for action against cancer-related malnutrition

Patients with cancer are at particularly high risk for malnutrition because both the disease and its treatments threaten their nutritional status. Yet cancer-related nutritional risk is sometimes overlooked or under-treated by clinicians, patients, and their families. The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) recently published evidence-based guidelines for nutritional care in patients with cancer. In further support of these guidelines, an ESPEN oncology expert group met for a Cancer and Nutrition Workshop in Berlin on October 24 and 25, 2016. The group examined the causes and consequences of cancer-related malnutrition, reviewed treatment approaches currently available, and built the rationale and impetus for clinicians involved with care of patients with cancer to take actions that facilitate nutrition support in practice. The content of this position paper is based on presentations and discussions at the Berlin meeting. The expert group emphasized 3 key steps to update nutritional care for people with cancer: (1) screen all patients with cancer for nutritional risk early in the course of their care, regardless of body mass index and weight history; (2) expand nutrition-related assessment practices to include measures of anorexia, body composition, inflammatory biomarkers, resting energy expenditure, and physical function; (3) use multimodal nutritional interventions with individualized plans, including care focused on increasing nutritional intake, lessening inflammation and hypermetabolic stress, and increasing physical activity.