Patients with pancreatic and biliary tract cancer suffer from weight loss, malnutrition and cachexia. These factors are associated with poor prognosis, reduction in quality of life and a higher risk of complications during treatment. Moreover, patients undergo fasting periods during their diagnostic work-up at hospital that worsens malnutrition.
This is a prospective randomized monocentric study to investigate, whether parenteral nutritional supplementation may have an impact on weight loss, nutritional status, quality of life and length of hospital stay in patients with tumors of the pancreas or biliary tract. Patients either receive 1 l Olimel peri 2.5 %® (Baxter Germany GmbH Medication Delivery, Unterschleißheim, Germany containing 700 kcal, 25.3 g protein, 30.0 g fat and 75.0 g glucose) on fasting days or 1 l of isotonic fluid (E153, Berlin-Chemie AG, Berlin, Germany) in the control group. A hospital stay of at least three days is required. Patients are assessed for anthropometric measurements, bioelectrical impedance analysis, quality of life and length of hospital stay.
