Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nutritional management plays a pivotal role in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the impact of nutritional intake on patients' nutritional status during treatment remains unclear. METHODS: This retrospective study aimed to compare the nutritional status of patients with ESCC with that of healthy controls and evaluate how nutritional intake affects patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Clinical data from 166 patients with ESCC who received two courses of chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin (109 in the CRT group and 57 patients in the NAC group) were examined, along with 166 matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, patients with ESCC had poorer nutritional status as assessed using serum albumin levels, body mass index (BMI), and psoas muscle mass index (PMI), which declined further during treatment. Notably, patients who achieved sufficient energy and protein intake maintained better nutritional status. Although no significant differences were observed in nutritional intake between the groups, the CRT group was associated with greater decreases in serum albumin levels, BMI, and PMI than the NAC group. CONCLUSION: Adequate nutrition intake may mitigate the deterioration of the nutritional status in patients with ESCC during treatment. Moreover, nutritional requirements may differ depending on the treatment modality, such as CRT and NAC. These findings underscore the importance of individualized nutritional management in the care of patients with ESCC.