Kuiken NSS, et al. – A multicenter prospective observational study and the international survey had been executed to get insight into the currently used feeding strategies in clinical practice in pediatric cancer patients with chemotherapy–induced mucositis. Both in the Netherlands as well as worldwide, a variability in feeding strategies in the clinical practice was observed. This study formed a foundation for future studies in this important clinical field to develop clinical trials comparing tube feeding and TPN both in adult and pediatric patients.

Methods

• In order to identify feeding strategies after chemotherapy courses causing mucositis in almost all patients at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam (AMC), and the Princess Maxima Center Utrecht (PMC), a prospective observational study was performed.
• This study enrolled consecutive patients, aged 0–18 years, either diagnosed with B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) or scheduled for autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) between April 2015 and September 2016.
• Additionally, an international online questionnaire was conducted for pediatric oncology centers.

Results

• After 21 chemotherapy courses, a total of 13 patients were included.
• There was no administration of nutritional support after 23.8% courses, tube feeding after 19.0% of the courses, TPN in 19.0% of courses, and 38.1% received a combination of tube feeding and TPN.
• 63.2% of the centers administered tube feeding as first choice, 31.6% administered only TPN as first choice, and one center administered a combination as first choice, according to the international survey.