Regular Article

British Journal of Cancer (1999) 81, 80–86. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6690654 www.bjcancer.com
Published online 13 August 1999

The effect of an oral nutritional supplement enriched with fish oil on weight-loss in patients with pancreatic cancer

M D Barber1, J A Ross1, A C Voss2, M J Tisdale3 and K C H Fearon1

  1. 1University Department of Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JA, UK
  2. 2Ross Products Division, Abbot Laboratories, 625 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215-1724, USA
  3. 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK

Received 3 September 1998; Revised 11 February 1999; Accepted 12 April 1999.

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Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that administration of oral eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) will stabilize weight in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The aim of the present study was to determine if a combination of EPA with a conventional oral nutritional supplement could produce weight gain in these patients. Twenty patients with unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma were asked to consume two cans of a fish oil-enriched nutritional supplement per day in addition to their normal food intake. Each can contained 310 kcal, 16.1 g protein and 1.09 g EPA. Patients were assessed for weight, body composition, dietary intake, resting energy expenditure (REE) and performance status. Patients consumed a median of 1.9 cans day–1. All patients were losing weight at baseline at a median rate of 2.9 kg month–1. After administration of the fish oil-enriched supplement, patients had significant weight-gain at both 3 (median 1 kg, P = 0.024) and 7 weeks (median 2 kg, P = 0.033). Dietary intake increased significantly by almost 400 kcal day–1 (P = 0.002). REE per kg body weight and per kg lean body mass fell significantly. Performance status and appetite were significantly improved at 3 weeks. In contrast to previous studies of oral conventional nutritional supplements in weight-losing cancer patients, this study suggests that an EPA-enriched supplement may reverse cachexia in advanced pancreatic cancer.

Keywords:

pancreatic cancer, cachexia, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, fish oil, nutritional supplementation

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