Preoperative Immunonutrition in Patients Undergoing Elective Colorectal Surgery for Neoplasm

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols were developed to standardize perioperative practice in colon surgery to reduce morbidity, improve recovery, and shorten length of stay (LOS). Better protocol adherence translates into fewer readmissions and complications, and better 5-year survival. Preoperative elements, especially nutrition and immunonutrition, are topics that need further development to become the standard of care. It has been widely reported that the prevalence of malnutrition reaches 40% in cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. Impaired nutritional status at the time of surgery and cancer-induced inflammation, along with postoperative inflammatory responses to major surgery, increase the risk of postoperative complications, along with a decrease in perceived quality of life. Immunonutrition can modulate inflammation and reduce postoperative infections and shorten length of stay by counteracting the immune response induced by cancer. Adipose tissue has been shown to be a relevant source of inflammatory mediators, which may play a role in the promotion of tumor cachexia. The present study is a multicenter randomized control study (RCT) designed to evaluate the effect of preoperative immunonutrition in patients with colorectal cancer eligible for elective minimally invasive procedures, evaluating in particular surgical site infection and length of hospital stay. A biopsy of subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue will also be performed, in order to evaluate the differences between inflammatory infiltrate, degree of fibrosis and cross-sectional area of adipocytes compared to controls.