An assessment of feeding jejunostomy tube placement at the time of resection for gastric adenocarcinoma: A seven-institution analysis of 837 patients from the U.S. Gastric Cancer Collaborative

120 Background: A recent single institutional study demonstrated that jejunostomy feeding tubes (J-tubes) placed during resection of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) are associated with increased complications and no change in receipt of adjuvant therapy. Our aim was to validate these findings in a large multi-institutional cohort. Methods: All patients who underwent resection for GAC at 7 institutions participating in the U.S. Gastric Cancer Collaborative from 2000-2012 were identified. Patients with metastatic disease were excluded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to assess the association of J-tubes with postoperative complications and receipt of adjuvant therapy. Subset analysis of patients who underwent total vs subtotal gastrectomy was also performed. Results: Of 965 patients, 837 were included for analysis, of whom 265 (32%) received a J-tube. Patients receiving J-tubes demonstrated greater incidence of preoperative weight loss, lower BMI, greater extent of resection, and more advanced TNM stage. J-tube placement was associated with increased infectious complications (36% vs 19%;p