Postprandial Asymptomatic Glycemic Fluctuations after Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device

Purpose: Although dumping symptoms are thought to involve postprandial glycemic changes, postprandial glycemic variability without dumping symptoms remains poorly understood due to the lack of a method that allows the easy and continuous measurement of blood glucose levels. Materials and Methods: Patients having undergone distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I (DG BI) or Roux-en-Y reconstruction (DG-RY), total gastrectomy with RY (TG-RY) and pylorus preserving gastrectomy (PPG) for gastric cancer 3 months to 3 years prior, diagnosed as pathological stage I or II, were prospectively enrolled from March 2018 to January 2020. The interstitial tissue glycemic levels were measured every 15 min, up to 14 days by continuous glucose monitoring. Moreover, using a diary recording the diet and symptoms, asymptomatic glucose profiles without sugar supplementation within 3 h postprandially were compared among the four procedures. Results: A total of 40 patients were enrolled, 10 patients for each of the four procedures. There were 47 glucose profiles with DG-BI, 46 profiles with DG-RY, 38 profiles with TGRY, and 46 profiles with PPG. PPG showed the slowest increase with a subsequent gradual decrease in glucose fluctuations, without hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, among the four procedures. In contrast, TG-RY and DG-RY showed spike-like glycemic variability, sharp rises during meals, and rapid drops. The glucose profiles of DG-BI were milder than those of RY. Conclusions: The asymptomatic glycemic changes after meals differ among the types of surgical procedures for gastric cancer. Given the mild glycemic fluctuations in PPG and the glucose spikes in TG-RY and DG-RY, pylorus preservation and physiological reconstruction without changes in food pathways may optimize postprandial glucose profiles after gastrectomy.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate postprandial glycemic variability in patients undergoing different surgical procedures for gastric cancer. The findings suggest that pylorus preserving gastrectomy (PPG) leads to the most stable postprandial glucose profiles, while total gastrectomy with RY (TG-RY) and distal gastrectomy with RY (DG-RY) show spike-like glycemic variability. Continuous interstitial tissue glycemic monitoring can provide insights into postprandial glycemic changes after gastrectomy.