The impact of total parenteral nutrition on postoperative recovery in patients treated for advanced stage ovarian cancer

Objectives Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) presumably benefits cancer patients although reports have disputed the significance of this nutritional intervention. We sought to compare the postoperative outcomes of ovarian cancer patients treated with either TPN or conservative management. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the impact of TPN and conservative management in ovarian cancer patients who underwent debulking surgery and a bowel resection. The primary study variables encompassed patient time until restoration of bowel function, number of postoperative complications and duration of hospital stay. Results There were 147 subjects who were selected for this study. The patients who were treated with TPN ( n = 69) demonstrated a longer time until restoration of bowel function (5.77 vs. 4.70 days; P