Background and objective: To investigate the influence of a arginine and omega3 fatty acids enhanced supplement in nutritional variables in postsurgical ambulatory patients with head and neck tumors.
Patients and method: A population of 18 ambulatory postsurgical patients with oral and laryngeal cancer was studied. At hospital discharge, postsurgical head and neck cancer patients were asked to consume two units per day of a specially designed omega3 fatty acid enhanced supplement for a twelve week period.
Results: Eighteen patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 62.5 (11.4) years (1 females/17 males). Duration of supplementation was 90.5 (22) days. Significant increases of serum protein levels and lymphocites were detected. PCR levels decreased after supplementation (71.96 [21.7] md/dl vs 25.9 [11.1] mg/dl; p < 0.05). No differences were detected in weight and other anthropometric parameters. A positive correlation between omega3/omega6 ratio and kg of fat mass (r = 0.59; p < 0.05) and midarm circumference (r = 0.62; p < 0.05) were detected. When the population was divided in two groups, group I (ratio omega3/omega6 < 0.51) and group II (ratio omega3/omega6 > 0.51), group II showed higher fat mass than group I (17.32 [5.3] kg vs 13.8 [5.1] kg; p < 0.05).
Conclusions: This immuno-enhanced formula could improve serum protein levels and PCR in ambulatory postoperative head and neck cancer patients. An increase in fat mass was detected in patients with a high omega3/omega6 intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids.