Experience of using domestic tube feeding in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Purpose of the study. To confirm the feasibility of correcting protein-energy malnutrition in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck using a new type of domestically produced enteral nutrition, and to analyze the impact of this correction on the postoperative course. Material and methods. Sixty patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were recruited for the study using an open randomization method and divided into two groups of 30 patients. Patients in Group 1 received the domestically produced enteral nutrition LEOVIT PHARMA, while patients in Group 2 received an imported enteral nutrition. Anthropometric parameters, laboratory data, and questionnaire data were assessed upon admission, 1 day after surgery, and 3 and 7 days after surgery. Data collection and processing were performed by staff of the ENT Oncology Research and Clinical Department of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia. The study was conducted using Python 3.10 packages for mathematical modeling and statistical analysis. NumPy and Pandas libraries were used for initial data processing. Descriptive statistics were calculated using the stats module of the Scipy library. Data visualization was performed using Matplotlib and Seaborn. Results. Domestic enteral nutrition increased total protein and albumin levels in patients’ blood by 18,7 and 11,8%, respectively, on the seventh day after surgery. The use of imported nutrition showed a less pronounced increase in these parameters – 10,1 and 9,5%, respectively. In the LEOVIT PHARMA group, compared to the imported enteral nutrition group, no additional albumin infusions were required. LEOVIT therapeutic nutrition did not cause intolerance or allergic reactions. There were no discontinuations. Conclusion. A comparative analysis of domestic and imported enteral nutrition for nutritional support demonstrates comparable clinical efficacy in the perioperative period in cancer patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who have nutritional status disorders.
Keywords: head and neck cancer, perioperative support, therapeutic nutrition, nutritional support, enteral mixtures
Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Funding. The study was performed without external funding.