The strategy of vitamin supplementation in Chinese patients with gastric cancer after gastrectomy: a prospective cohort study.

This study investigated the effects of oral multivitamin supplementation on vitamin levels in Chinese gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy, aiming to provide a basis for postoperative vitamin supplementation strategies. A total of 78 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy were divided into an experimental group (41 patients, receiving oral multivitamins) and a control group (37 patients). Levels of folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B1, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were compared before and one month after surgery. Results showed that the level of vitamin B1 in the experimental group was substantially higher than that in the control group when comparing the difference value between the preoperative and 1-month postoperative periods (P < 0.05). Although the deficiency rates of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin B1 were relatively high in both groups, the vitamin B1 deficiency rates of the experimental group 1 month postoperatively were significantly lower than preoperative rates (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that partial gastrectomy patients in the experimental group had increased vitamin B1 levels and decreased deficiency rates compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The study suggests that systematic multivitamin supplementation should be routinely administered to Chinese gastric cancer patients following gastrectomy, with particular emphasis on initiating vitamin B1 and vitamin D supplementation upon resumption of semi-solid oral intake. Patients after total gastrectomy may require additional vitamin B1 supplementation. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings.