Comparative clinical outcomes of home parenteral nutrition in adults with gastrointestinal or gynecologic cancers versus non-cancer patients: a prospective cohort study using propensity score matching from the Canadian HPN registry. Journal Articles uri icon

  •  
  • Overview
  •  
  • Research
  •  
  • Identity
  •  
  • View All
  •  

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is indicated for patients with intestinal failure, but its use in cancer patients requires careful consideration due to the unique challenges and complexities involved. METHODS: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from cancer patients receiving HPN, recorded in the Canadian HPN Registry from 2003 to 2022. Patients were divided into two groups: those with gastrointestinal or gynecologic cancer and a propensity score-matched cohort of non-cancer patients. The objective was to assess survival rates by performance status and prescription decade in both groups. Secondary objectives were to compare complications between the groups. RESULTS: A total of 400 HPN patients were enrolled: 200 cancer patients (128 gastrointestinal, 72 gynecologic) and 200 matched non-cancer patients. Median age (interquartile range) was 58 (16) years for cancer and 56 (19) for non-cancer groups, with 71.5% and 66.5% female, respectively. Median survival was 1.71 years (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.81-2.61) for gastrointestinal cancer, 0.99 years (95% CI, 0.36-1.6) for gynecologic cancer, and 3.89 years (95% CI, 2.72-5.06) for non-cancer patients (p-value < 0.001). Survival showed no improvement over two decades. Patients with Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) ≤ 50 had shorter survival. Catheter complications and HPN-related hospitalizations were similar, but HPN-related liver disease was more common in non-cancer patients (16.5% vs. 9%, p-value = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Survival for patients with gastrointestinal and gynecologic cancer and co-existing intestinal failure has not improved over the past two decades, with poorer outcomes observed in those with low KPS. Complication rates were similar in both groups. Graphical abstract: Created in BioRender. Unhapipatpong, C. (2025) https://BioRender.com/l25d998 .

authors

  • Unhapipatpong, Chanita
  • Schwenger, Katherine JP
  • Armstrong, David
  • Bielawska, Barbara
  • Jurewitsch, Brian
  • McHattie, JD
  • Duerksen, Donald R
  • Lu, Yidan
  • Daoud, Dane Christina
  • Cloutier, Anabelle
  • Raman, Matreyi
  • Gramlich, Leah
  • Ou, George
  • Allard, Johane P

publication date

  • July 11, 2025