Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal malignancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMC Cancer

Research Article

Jing Yu¹  Lian Liu¹  Fan Yang¹  Jia Wei¹  Yue Zhang¹ 

[1] Department of Oncology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 Yong An Road, Xicheng District, 100050, Beijing, China;

关键词: Omega-3 fatty acids;    Immune function;    Gastrointestinal malignancy;    Postoperative complications;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12885-017-3248-y

 received in 2016-10-13, accepted in 2017-03-31,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSurgical resection remains the primary treatment for gastrointestinal (GI) malignancy including early-stage cancer. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been reported to have beneficial clinical and immune-modulating effects in the prognosis of GI cancer patients undergoing surgery.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, EBSCO-Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CNKI and Wanfang to identify primary research reporting the effects of n-3 PUFAs compared with isocaloric nutrition on GI cancer patients who underwent surgery up to the end of June 30, 2016. Two authors independently reviewed and selected eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs).ResultsA total of 9 RCTs (623 participants) were included. The n-3 PUFAs regime resulted in lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.05), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (P < 0.01), and higher levels of albumin (ALB), CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio (P < 0.05) compared with the isocaloric nutrition regime. However, there was no significant difference in the level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) between the n-3 PUFAs regime and the isocaloric nutrition regime (P = 0.17). And the level of CD8 + T cells decreased compared with the isocaloric nutrition regime (P < 0.0001).ConclusionsOur meta-analysis revealed that n-3 PUFAs are effective in improving the nutritional status and immune function of GI cancer patients undergoing surgery as they effectively enhance immunity and attenuate the inflammatory response.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017