Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 1-2e/2018

Home parenteral nutrition in cancer patients

Home parenteral nutrition and hydration in cancer patients is indicated in case of reduction of the absorptive area of intestine after extensive small intestine resection, in chemotherapy or radiotherapy induced intestinal damage and in case of malignant bowel obstruction. It is indicated in patients with minimal life expectancy of 2 months. A substantial inclusion criteria for home parenteral nutrition is good physical condition with Karnofsky performance scale index of no less than 50 %. In our article we evaluate 29 cancer patients included to the program of home parenteral nutrition. 5 of the patients were enrolled in the program as part of the preparation for surgery with average survival time of 5.2 moths. 4 patients after radical tumor resection with subsequent short bowel syndrome survived on average 38 months. 11 patients with malignant bowel obstruction due to the gastrointestinal malignancy survived on home parenteral nutrition 4 months on average. Patients with bowel obstruction due to other malignancies survived on home parenteral nutrition on average 5.1 months. The patients stayed in good physical condition and spent the rest of their lives at home.

Keywords: home parenteral nutrition, malignancies, Karnofsky performance status scale