Incidence and influencing factors of nutritional deficit in oral cancer patients during the immediate postoperative period after radical resection surgery

Objective To investigate the incidence and influencing factors of nutritional deficits during the immediate postoperative period following radical resection surgery for oral cancer and to analyze its impact on the short-term recovery of surgical patients. Methods Nutritional support data of 87 oral cancer patients early after radical resection surgery （1 to 10 d after surgery） in Guangzhou First People’s Hospital between January 2018 and March 2024 were collected. Patients were divided into the nutritional adequacy and nutritional inadequacy groups according to the average daily nutritional intake. Relevant factors were statistically compared between two groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify influencing factors of nutritional deficits. The length of stay and incidence of postoperative complications, such as partial or total flap loss and surgical site infection, were also compared between two groups. Results Only 23.0% （20/87） of oral cancer patients achieved nutritional adequacy during the follow-up period. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that nutritional inadequacy was associated with ideal body weight （OR=5.308, 95%CI： 1.103-25.551, P = 0.037） and the actual nutritional intake （OR=0.897, 95%CI： 0.809-0.994, P = 0.038）. The length of stay in the nutritional adequacy group was significantly shorter compared to that in the nutritional inadequacy group （21 d vs. 24 d, P = 0.030）. The difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups was not statistically significant（15.0% vs. 35.8%,P =0.077）. Conclusions Inadequate nutritional intake is common in oral cancer patients early after radical resection surgery. Patients with higher ideal body weight and less actual nutritional intake are prone to nutritional deficits. Adequate nutrition contributes to promoting recovery and significantly shortening the length of hospital stay. Medical staff should consider individual energy needs when planning nutritional care, and effectively improve the actual nutritional intake of patients.