Effect of Medical Nutrition Therapy compared with General Nutrition Advice on Quality of Life in Patients with Esophageal Cancer Receiving Chemoradiotherapy: A randomized controlled trial (RCT)

Background Malnutrition is a critical complication in esophageal cancer (EC) and contributes to poor treatment tolerance and reduced quality of life (QoL). General nutrition advice (NA) may not fully meet the complex needs of these patients. This study compared the effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) with NA in supporting QoL outcomes during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Method This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial that enrolled 100 patients newly diagnosed with EC. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (MNT, n = 49; individualized diet with oral or artificial nutrition as required) or a control group (NA, n = 51; standard nutrition advice). Both groups received identical weekly monitoring. Anthropometrics, dietary intake, quality of life (QLQ-C30 v3.0), biochemical and hematological markers, and psychological status (DASS-21) were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 4–6-week follow-up. Results Post-intervention, the intervention group had significantly higher energy (26.40 ± 14.06 Kcal/kg/day vs. 18.21 ± 11.21 Kcal/kg/day, p = 0.003) and protein intake (0.96 ± 0.54 g/kg/day vs. 0.67 ± 0.43 g/kg/day, p = 0.005) than the control group. No significant differences were observed in nutritional status, Anthropometrics, biochemical and hematological markers, psychological status, or QoL domains, except for social functioning, which was lower in the intervention group post-intervention (71.85 ± 30.73 vs. 85.92 ± 22.74, p = 0.018 ) . Conclusion Regular monitoring combined with optimized nutritional support as a part of a multidisciplinary care approach is crucial for preserving quality of life in patients with esophageal cancer.