Effect of early oral feeding on gastrointestinal function recovery in postoperative gastric cancer patients: a prospective study.

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare the early and late postoperative oral feeding of operated gastric cancer patients on the gastrointestinal function recovery. METHODS: 198 gastric cancer patients treated in our hospital from June 2015 to June 2017 were enrolled. Patients were randomized into two groups, early feeding group and late feeding group. All patients underwent the same surgical procedure, which was laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. Time of the first postoperative exhaust and defecation was recorded. Fasting venous blood samples were collected on the day of surgery and 1, 3, and 5 days after surgery. Serum levels of gastrin and motilin were assessed. RESULTS: Time of the first postoperative exhaust and defecation in the early feeding group was 2.05±0.71 days and 3.58±0.92 days, respectively. In the late feeding group they were 2.50±0.91 days and 5.17±1.0 days, respectively (p=0.008, p=0.002). Serum levels of gastrin and motilin in the early feeding group were remarkably higher than those of the late feeding group on the 3rd and 5th postoperative day. Univariate analysis showed that time of the first postoperative feeding, operation time and postoperative gastrin level on the 3rd day were factors remarkably affecting the time of the first postoperative exhaust (p=0.003, p=0.043, p=0.032, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that the time of postoperative feeding was an independent factor affecting the time of the first postoperative exhaust (Odds ratio/OR=0.986, 95%CI=0.974-0.997, p=0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Early oral feeding promotes the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal function in gastric cancer patients, and doesn't increase the incidence of related complications and adverse events.