Abstract:
Objective To evaluate the effects of enteral nutrition on adverse reactions, nutritional status, immune function, intestinal barrier function, and intestinal flora in patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumors.
Methods Fron March 2018 to November 2018, forty-six patients with gastrointestinal malignancies receiving 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy were randomly assigned into the control group and experimental group in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital. Each group had 23 cases. The control group received only chemotherapy, and the experimental group additionally received enteral nutrition support. The adverse reactions, nutritional status, immune function, intestinal barrier function, and dynamic changes in intestinal flora with successive chemotherapy courses were observed in the two groups.
Results 1) Adverse reactions:the number of total adverse reactions such as nausea and vomiting was smaller in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). 2) Nutritional status:with successive chemotherapy courses, the prealbumin (PA) and transferrin (TF) showed an upward trend in the experimental group but a downward trend in the control group (P < 0.05). 3) T cell subsets:CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ showed an upward trend with successive chemotherapy courses, and it was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). 4) Immunoglobulin:IgG, IgA, and C4 were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). 5) Intestinal barrier function:from the fourth to sixth courses, the levels of D-lactic acid and diamine oxidase were significantly higher in the control group than in the experimental group (P < 0.05). 6) Intestinal flora:with successive chemotherapy courses, the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria were significantly lower (P < 0.05) and the Enterobacter and Enterococcus were significantly higher in the control group than in the experimental group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions Enteral nutrition can reduce the adverse reactions of chemotherapy, improve nutritional status and immune function of the body, reduce intestinal barrier function damage, and improve intestinal flora imbalance.