Impact of Early Oral Feeding on Anastomotic Leakage Rate After Esophagectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Esophageal cancer occupies a vital position in fatal cancer-related disease, with esophagectomy procedures helping to improve patient survival. The timing when oral intake should be resumed after esophagectomy and whether early oral feeding (EOF) or delayed oral feeding (DOF) should be the optimal regimen are controversial. Methods Databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library) were searched. All records were screened by two authors through full-text reading. Data on the anastomotic leakage rate were extracted and synthesized in meta-analyses. Postoperative pneumonia rate and length of hospital stay were also assessed. Results Seven studies from 49 records were included after full-text reading; 1595 patients were totally included in the analysis. No significant difference was observed between the EOF and DOF groups (odds ratio [OR] 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70–4.03; p = 0.2495; I 2 = 70%). Higher anastomotic leakage rate was observed in EOF compared with DOF (OR 2.89; 95% CI 1.56–5.34; p = 0.0007; I 2 = 10%) in the open subgroup. No significant difference was observed in the MIE (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.22–1.02; p = 0.0564; I 2 = 0%). Patients performed similarly in pneumonia (OR 1.12; 95% CI 0.57–2.21; p = 0.745; I 2 = 34%). In cervical subgroup, anastomosis leakage may be less in DOF (OR 2.42 95% CI 1.26–4.64; p = 0.0651; I 2 = 58%), while in thoracic subgroup, there is no obvious difference (OR 0.86 95% CI 0.46–1.61; p = 0.01; I 2 = 84.9%). Conclusions Anastomotic leakage related to the timing of oral feeding after open esophagectomy, which is more favorable to the DOF regimen. However, timing of oral feeding did not impair anastomotic healing in patients undergoing MIE.