Nutritional care before and after surgery for head and neck cancer

Improvement of the Nutritional Course of Care After Surgical Treatment at the Patients Affected by a Cancer of the Head and by the Neck

Not applicable Interventional Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens · NCT03632200

This project will see if a more intensive nutrition program before and after surgery helps adults having head and neck cancer keep weight and recover better than usual care.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment60 (estimated)
Ages18 Years to 80 Years
SexAll
SponsorCentre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens Academic / other
Locations1 site (Amiens)
Trial IDNCT03632200 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This is a two-group interventional comparison of standard SFNEP-based nutritional care versus an enhanced nutritional program for adults undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer. The enhanced program provides preoperative dietary advice in a multidisciplinary consultation and structured postoperative dietetic follow-up (a dietetic visit at hospital discharge day 7 plus phone calls at months 1, 2, 4 and 5), with monthly multidisciplinary visits for undernourished patients for six months. The control group is managed according to current SFNEP recommendations (personalized dietary advice and oral nutritional supplements preoperatively, with no specific postoperative protocol). Eligible adult patients are enrolled at CHU Amiens-Picardie and patients receiving radiotherapy, minors, those under guardianship, or participants in other nutrition research are excluded.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults (age 18+) undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer who can give written consent and are covered by a national insurance scheme are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients who are minors, under guardianship, receiving radiotherapy, or already enrolled in other nutrition studies are not eligible and would not benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the enhanced program could reduce postoperative weight loss and improve nutritional recovery after head and neck cancer surgery.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies of perioperative nutrition and oral supplements in head and neck cancer have reported improvements in weight and outcomes, but structured postoperative individualized programs like this are less well studied.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients affected by a cancer of the VADS
* Man or woman of 18 and more years old
* Patient benefiting from a surgery for its cancer of the VADS
* Patient having signed a written consent
* Patient member in a national insurance scheme

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient minor
* Patient benefiting from a radiotherapy
* Patient participant in another research interfering on the nutritional state of the patient
* Patients under guardianship or guardianship

Where this trial is running

Amiens

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Nutrition DisordersHead and Neck Cancer
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.