The Effect of Satiety Gut Hormone Modulation on Appetitive Drive After Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery

Summary

Improvements to treatment strategies for patients with cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract have produced a large population of people who remain free from cancer recurrence in the long term following treatment.

Surgery is the cornerstone of treatment for patients with these cancers, but while surgical removal of the tumour may offer the best chance of cure, these are major operations associated with specific long term complications. Weight loss and poor nutrition are common problems among patients who attain long-term cancer remission and cure after surgery. The mechanisms underlying these problems are not well understood and therefore treatment options are limited.

Our research has demonstrated increased levels of chemical messengers (gut hormones) released from the gastrointestinal tract after meals in patients who have previously undergone this type of surgery. These chemical messengers play a role in controlling appetite and interest in food, and increased levels after surgery may reduce interest in eating. Understanding the role of gut hormones in the control of appetite may allow us to use certain medications to block gut hormones and hence increase appetite, allowing patients to eat more and regain weight, preventing nutritional problems after surgery.

In this study, the investigators aim to determine whether exaggerated gut hormone secretion causes reduced appetite and interest in food after surgery. The information gained from this study may help us to develop treatments for patients with weight loss and nutritional problems after surgery.

Conditions

• Esophageal Neoplasms
• Stomach Neoplasms
• Weight Loss
• Malnutrition
• Pancreatic Neoplasms
• Duodenal Neoplasms

Interventions

DRUG

Octreotide

Single dose 100mcg octreotide acetate (1mL), subcutaneously to the lower abdomen

DRUG

Placebo

Single dose 0.9% saline (1mL), subcutaneously to the lower abdomen

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University College Dublin

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Dublin, Trinity College

  collaborator OTHER

• Göteborg University

  collaborator OTHER

• St. James's Hospital, Ireland

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John V Reynolds, MCh, FRCS · Department of Surgery, St. James's Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

100 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-03-31

Primary Completion

2018-03-31

Completion

2018-03-31

Countries

• Ireland
• Sweden

Study Locations