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Dietary Fiber Before Colorectal Cancer Surgery

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Colorectal Cancer
Interventions
Other: Dietary intervention
Registration Number
NCT06212817
Lead Sponsor
Wageningen University
Brief Summary

The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate the feasibility of increasing preoperative dietary fiber intake in individuals with colorectal cancer who will undergo surgery. This will be done using 1) digital personalized dietary advice or 2) a dried vegetable product compared to 3) habitual diet (control).

Detailed Description

Rationale: Postoperative complications, affecting up to 50% of the patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) undergoing surgery, are associated with impaired quality of life and higher mortality rates. The investigators have previously shown an association between a higher preoperative dietary fiber intake and a lower risk of postoperative complications. Before large interventions aiming to evaluate potential causal relationships between dietary fiber and postoperative complications can be implemented, feasibility of increasing dietary fiber intake before CRC surgery needs to be explored.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of increasing preoperative dietary fiber intake in CRC patients undergoing surgery via 1) personalized dietary advice (Vezel-UP tool), or 2) vegetable product containing natural fibers compared to 3) habitual diet (control group). Secondary objectives will be considered to generate preliminary (biological) data to support the design of a future large-scale intervention studies.

Study design: A randomized controlled trial with three groups: 1) Vezel-UP group, 2) vegetable product group, and 3) control group. The intervention period equals the time between diagnosis and surgery, which is on average \~4 weeks but will vary between individual patients depending on their characteristics (e.g., physical condition and tumor location) and waiting list.

Study population: 54 CRC patients who will undergo elective tumor resection.

Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome is the change in dietary fiber intake, which is assessed via two 24hr dietary recalls at baseline and during and after the intervention. Secondary parameters are stool pattern, gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, fecal microbiota composition, fecal and plasma microbial metabolites levels (i.e., SCFA and indoles), and length of hospital stay.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
54
Inclusion Criteria
  • Age ≥18 years;
  • Being diagnosed with CRC and planned to undergo elective CRC resection;
Exclusion Criteria
  • Previously have had a large abdominal resection, excluding appendectomy and cholecystectomy;
  • Diagnosed with Crohn's disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease;
  • Currently having a stoma;
  • Known allergic reactions to plants from the Asteraceae (Compositae) family (e.g., lettuce, daisies, sunflowers, artichokes, sage, tarragon, chamomile, chicory etc.);
  • Currently following a strict diet and unwilling or unable to change (e.g., gluten free or ketogenic diet);
  • Currently using fiber supplements, prebiotics and/or probiotics and unwilling to stop using these for the duration of the intervention;
  • Having a habitual dietary fiber intake >30 g/day for women and >40 g/day for men, measured with a food frequency questionnaire;
  • Dementia or other cognitive disabilities that makes it impossible to fill out questionnaires correctly;
  • Illiteracy (inability to read and understand Dutch).

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Vegetable product (dried chicory root) to increase dietary fiber intakeDietary interventionSubjects will consume 2 sachets with each 7.5 g of dried cubes of chicory root, which equals a total of 12.3 g of dietary fiber per day. Subjects can choose when and how they consume the vegetable product, for example sprinkle it over their meal, or include in existing recipes.
Fibre-UP tool: digital, personalized dietary advice to increase dietary fiber intakeDietary interventionSubjects will receive personalized dietary advice (PDA) based on their habitual food pattern (as assessed using a food frequency questionnaire) and preferences. Based on a previously developed algorithm, the PDA provides fiber-rich alternatives for currently used low-fiber products, close to subjects' current eating behavior, to help increase dietary fiber intake. This PDA will be provided using an online web-portal.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Dietary fiber intake3 time points: T0 (at baseline), T1 (after 2 weeks of intervention), and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Change in dietary fiber intake is assessed via two 24hr dietary recalls.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Stool pattern3 time points: T0 (at baseline), T1 (after 2 weeks of intervention), and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Change in stool frequency per week and average stool consistency per week assessed using the Bristol Stool Chart.

Gastrointestinal symptoms3 time points: T0 (at baseline), T1 (after 2 weeks of intervention), and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Change in gastrointestinal symptoms measured with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). Higher scores mean a worse outcome.

Health-related quality of life3 time points: T0 (at baseline), T1 (after 2 weeks of intervention), and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Change in quality of life measured with the European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30 \& CR29). Global and functional health-related quality of life will be calculated, for which higher scores indicate better quality of life. Also symptom scales will be calculated, for which higher scores indicate higher presence or severity of a symptom.

Fecal gut microbiota composition3 time points: T0 (at baseline), T1 (after 2 weeks of intervention), and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Measured using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing in fecal samples.

Fecal microbial metabolite levels3 time points: T0 (at baseline), T1 (after 2 weeks of intervention), and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Change in SCFA and indole concentrations determined by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS in fecal samples.

Plasma microbial metabolite levels2 time points: T0 (at baseline) and T2 (at the end of intervention period, on average after 4 weeks).

Change in SCFA and indole concentrations will be determined by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS in blood samples.

Length of hospital stayFrom date of surgery until date of hospital discharge, assessed up to 90 days after surgery.

Time between surgery and hospital discharge in number of days based on data from medical records.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Ziekenhuis Gelderse Vallei

🇳🇱

Ede, Gelderland, Netherlands

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