A Prospective Randomized Trial: Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)- Containing Supplement on the Nutritional and Inflammatory Status, Quality of Life, Toxicity and Response Rate to First-line Chemotherapy in Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer

Background: A frequent manifestation of advanced lung cancer is malnutrition, timely identification and treatment of which can lead to improved patient quality of life, response rate to chemotherapy and survival. N-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may possess anticachectic properties. This trial compared a protein and energy dense supplement enriched with n-3 fatty acids with nutritional assessment for their effects on weight, lean body mass (LBM), body fat, phase angle, dietary intake, inflammatory response and quality of life in first-line chemotherapy patients with advanced lung cancer.

Methods: Chemonaive patients with stages IIIB and IV of lung cancer are going to receive Paclitaxel and Cisplatin. Patients will be randomized to receive two cans/day of EPA and DHA containing oral supplement or nutritional assessment one week prior to treatment until completing two cycles. Serum levels of Reactive C Protein (RCP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) are going to be measured baseline and after two courses of chemotherapy. Phase angle and body composition will be measured using Bioimpedance analysis (BIA). Quality of life, dietary intake will be assessed with validate questionnaires. All data is going to be collected in a database for further blind analysis. Written informed consent will be collected from all patients.