LB098 - EFFECTS OF ORAL SUPPLEMENTATION ON MUSCLE MASS AND STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

LB098

EFFECTS OF ORAL SUPPLEMENTATION ON MUSCLE MASS AND STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

A. P. T. Fayh^1,2,*, J. P. D. C. Pereira², D. C. Nogueira e Silva³, A. C. Zanini⁴, G. F. D. Oliveira⁴, A. P. M. Celes⁴, H. D. Santos⁴

¹Postgraduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, ²Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, ³Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, ⁴Scientific Department, Prodiet Medical Nutrition, Curitiba, Brazil

Rationale: The importance of adequate nutrition, including nutritional supplementation, is well established to prevent malnutrition and sarcopenia in patients with colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. However, evidence supporting these benefits in patients with metastatic disease remains limited.

Methods: Preliminary data from a single-center randomized clinical trial involving patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) undergoing chemotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (IG): nutritional counseling combined with a specialized oral nutritional supplement (ONS),  high protein, enriched with L-leucine and zinc (Immax^®, Prodiet Medical Nutrition) for 60 days; or to the control group (CG): received only nutritional counseling. ONS dosage was individualized. Outcomes of interest were changes in body weight (kg), strength (handgrip strength, HGS), and muscle mass (from computed tomography, CT - at the 3rd lumbar vertebrae).

Results: In the IG (n = 17), no significant changes in weight were observed (p = 0.766). However, HGS values significantly increased after ONS (before intervention: 24.4 ± 10.1 kg; after intervention: 26.6 ± 9.5 kg; mean difference: +2.21 kg; 95% CI: 0.11 to 4.31; p = 0.040). In the CG (n = 15), mean values for both weight and strength did not change significantly (weight: from 68.5 ± 13.7 kg to 68.9 ± 14.0 kg, p = 0.427; HGS: from 20.3 ± 10.3 kg to 20.0 ± 10.0 kg, p = 0.427). When comparing groups, although not significant (p = 0.083), HGS was higher in the IG, with a moderate effect size (d _Cohen = 0.66). Muscle mass from CT scans did not differ significantly in the IG (p = 0.471) or the CG (p = 0.204).

Conclusion: These preliminary findings demonstrate that specialized ONS can improve muscle strength in patients with mCRC, even in the absence of significant changes in body weight and muscle mass. These results highlight the importance of ONS in enhancing muscle function.

Disclosure of Interest: A. P. T. Fayh: None declared, J. Pereira: None declared, D. Nogueira e Silva: None declared, A. Zanini Other: Prodiet Medical Nutrition employee, G. Oliveira Other: Prodiet Medical Nutrition employee, A. P. Celes Other: Technical Director and Co-founder of Prodiet Medical Nutrition, H. Santos Other: Prodiet Medical Nutrition employee