Prognostic value of nutritional status for esophageal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy and resection.

133Background: Malnutrition, linked to decreased patient tolerance to chemotherapy and increased rates of therapy-related toxicity, negatively affects cancer prognosis. Esophageal carcinomas (EC) frequently present with dysphagia and significant weight loss which may be exacerbated by neoadjuvant chemoradiation, placing EC patients at an increased risk of malnutrition. We therefore aim to assess the prognostic value of pre-operative malnutrition for esophageal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Methods: Query of our institution’s IRB approved database of 1113 EC patients (pts) identified 725 individuals who underwent NAT followed by resection from 1994-2018. Seventy-six pts were considered to be at higher nutritional risk during NAT, as indicated by significant weight loss and enteral feeding tube requirement (ETF+), while 644 did not receive pre-operative feeding tube placement (ETF–). Clinicopathologic characteristics, post-operative outcomes, and survival were compared between ETF+ a...