For Patients Undergoing Surgery for Advanced Gastric Cancer, Somatostatin May Improve Outcomes

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

According to a new study published in the journal World Journal of Gastroenterology, postoperative treatment with somatostatin decreases the volume and duration of surgical drainage and associated complication following D2 lymphadenectomy and vagina vasorum dissection in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

For the prospective, single-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers randomly assigned 120 patients at First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in China to receive either somatostatin for 5 to 7 days beginning 6 hours after surgery or normal saline.

Results showed no significant difference in overall incidence of complications between the two groups; however, patients that received somatostatin experienced less peritoneal effusion compared with the control group (1.6% versus 10.2%; P < 0.05).

In addition, no significant differences were observed in the incidence of postoperative pancreatic dysfunction and chylous fistula. Significant differences were observed in the amylase concentration in drainage fluid and volume and duration of drainage, chylous fistula, peritoneal drainage, and gastric tube drainage.

The findings suggest that somatostatin may improve the safety of D2 lymphadenectomy and vagina vasorum dissection in patients with advanced gastric cancer, as well as decrease postoperative complication improve recovery.