Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Several studies have reported an association between postoperative complications and nutritional indices. Among these, serum prealbumin (PAB) levels have recently attracted attention as an indicator of nutritional status. However, the nutritional index most strongly associated with postoperative complications remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between postoperative complications and nutrition-related indices, including PAB, in patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer. METHODS: A total of 108 patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery were classified into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of postoperative complications. PAB, serum albumin (ALB), Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score, and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) were used as preoperative nutrition-related indices. The relationship between postoperative complications and nutrition-related indices was examined using multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Among the participants, 84 were classified into the uncomplicated group and 24 into the complicated group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between all nutrition-related indices and postoperative complications, including PAB (odds ratio [OR], 0.808; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.716-0.911, p = 0.001), CONUT score (OR, 1.338; 95% CI: 1.095-1.635, p = 0.004), ALB (OR: 0.364, 95% CI: 0.157-0.845, p = 0.019), and PNI (OR: 0.931, 95% CI: 0.870-0.997, p = 0.042). Among these, PAB showed the strongest association, followed by CONUT, ALB, and PNI. CONCLUSIONS: All nutritional indicators were associated with postoperative complications. Our findings suggest that PAB and CONUT scores may serve as useful predictors of postoperative complications in patients with gastric cancer.