Nutritional and immune impairments and their effects on outcomes in early pancreatic cancer patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy

Background & aims Nutritional impairments are highly frequent in pancreatic cancer even in the early stages and have a significant impact on outcomes. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate immune and nutritional impairments, their interrelations and impacts on outcomes in an unselected cohort of patients scheduled for pancreatoduodenectomy due to suspicion of pancreatic cancer. Methods All consecutive patients scheduled for pancreatoduodenectomy at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos between January 2016 and November 2018 were recruited into the study according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Patients were randomly allocated into the groups of nutritional intervention with immunonutrition vs. control and stratified into the groups of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) vs. other pancreatic tumors. Nutritional evaluation included screening (NRS 2002), anthropometric measurements, bioelectrical impedance analysis and lumbar skeletal muscle index (LSMI). Inflammatory indicators were measured before and after surgery. Surgical outcomes were assessed 30 days postoperatively using Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI). Results Although increased nutritional risk was identified in 22.4% of patients, 41.4% were finally diagnosed with cachexia. While cachexia was predominantly diagnosed in underweight patients, sarcopenia was detected across all BMI categories and 11.7% of obese patients had sarcopenia. Decreased LSMI was identified in 52.5% of patients as compared to decreased phase angle in 39% of patients and decreased fat free mass index in only 3.4% of patients. Regression model indicate a large effect of nutritional indicators on CCI (R2 coefficient 71.1%). In comparison to patients with other pancreatic tumors, patients with PDAC had a characteristic pattern of increased systemic inflammation prior to surgery and decreased inflammation postoperatively (p = 0.02). Conclusions A high rate of nutritional impairments was identified in our cohort of patients with early pancreatic cancer, including abnormal body composition phenotypes. They produced negative effects on postoperative outcomes. The highest diagnostic rates were obtained with LSMI measurement, while the highest value for prognostication was attained with the inclusion of multiple objective nutritional state indicators.