Precision Dietary Intervention Improves Postoperative Energy Intake, Nutritional Status, and Recovery in Patients Undergoing Hepatectomy for Liver Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

January 13, 2026 updated by: Anhui Provincial Hospital

Objective:To explore the application effect of postoperative refined early dietary plan in the enhanced recovery of patients undergoing hepatectomy for primary liver cancer, and to provide scientific evidence for optimizing postoperative dietary structure and increasing oral energy intake of patients.

Methods:In this randomized, parallel-controlled trial, 142 colorectal cancer survivors meeting inclusion criteria were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Hefei, Anhui Province. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the dietary intervention group or the conventional diet group. Both the standard care group and the dietary intervention group received 5 days of routine dietary care. The dietary intervention group additionally received specialized meal plans and whole protein supplements beyond the standard care regimen. Dietary intake, nutritional status, and postoperative recovery outcomes were measured and compared between the two groups.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

139

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Anhui
      • Hefei, Anhui, China, 230000
        • Anhui Provincal Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • (1) Pathologically confirmed diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma; (2) Underwent elective (partial) hepatectomy; (3) Age 18-80 years; (4) Basically normal renal function and preoperative Child-Pugh liver function grade A or B; (5) Voluntary participation in the study and signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • (1) Concurrent malignant tumors; (2) Postoperative deterioration or contraindications to oral intake (e.g., dysphagia, intestinal obstruction); (3) Severe malnutrition or other disorders affecting nutritional metabolism; (4) Major intraoperative complications (e.g., massive hemorrhage, bile leakage, intra-abdominal adhesions); (5) Postoperative transfer to the ICU.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: dietary intervention group
Dietary supplement: Special diet plan and whole protein preparation NUTRICIA for 5 days after liver resection for liver cancer
The intervention group, based on the control group, followed the "Chinese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (Part II)"and evidence-based summaries, combined with the "Chinese Expert Consensus on Perioperative Management for Hepatectomy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (2021 Edition)" and oral nutritional supplementation guidelines, Based on the patient's comorbidities, liver characteristics, and gastrointestinal recovery patterns, a specialized 5-day post-hepatectomy diet plan for liver cancer patients has been developed. Postoperatively, oral nutritional supplements (ONS) were administered at 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM between meals, and at 9:00 PM after dinner, using the whole protein preparation NUTRICIA(specification: 320g/can, manufacturer: Milupa GmbH, Germany, production batch: HJ20170172).
Experimental: standard care group
Other: Conventional dietary intervention
After returning to the ward after the operation under the traditional dietary guidance model, the patient regained consciousness under anesthesia without nausea, vomiting, etc., and began to try drinking water. If there are no special conditions such as gastrointestinal discomfort, then starting according to the dietary principles, that is, a liquid diet on the first day after the operation, a semi-liquid diet on the second day, and gradually transitioning to a regular diet from the third day after the operation until discharge based on the patient's tolerance. One to two days after the operation, parenteral nutrition mixtures are routinely infused.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Prealbumin
Time Frame: Six days after the operation
Six days after the operation
albumin
Time Frame: Six days after the operation
Six days after the operation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Anhui Provincial Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 4, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 13, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024KY-013

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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