Lorraine Guinan and Sharon Rees report on a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of using a prophylactic gastrostomy compared with a therapeutic or no gastrostomy
Patients with head and neck cancer are at increased risk of malnutrition. There is much debate about the optimal method of feeding. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to compare the effectiveness of prophylactic gastrostomy versus no prophylactic gastrostomy in patients with head and neck cancer for the outcomes of treatment interruptions, unplanned admissions and weight changes, due to nutritional reasons. Ten articles were included in the review, including one randomised controlled trial, two cohort and seven case-controlled studies. Meta-analysis showed prophylactic gastrostomy significantly decreased unplanned admissions (
Cancer Nursing Practice. 13, 8, 21-30. doi: 10.7748/cnp.13.8.21.e1122
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to double blind peer review
Conflict of interestNone declared
Received: 13 June 2014
Accepted: 02 September 2014
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