Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study

Introduction: Surgery is the mainstay for the management of gastrointestinal cancer patients, but it is associated with various complications. So, identification of pre-operative factors associated with post-operative complications is essential. Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized as a prognostic...

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Main Authors: Narendra Maharjan, Paleswan Joshi Lakhey, Sumita Pradhan, Bishnu Prasad Kandel, Ramesh Singh Bhandari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nepal Medical Association 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Nepal Medical Association
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Online Access:https://www.jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/9107
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author Narendra Maharjan
Paleswan Joshi Lakhey
Sumita Pradhan
Bishnu Prasad Kandel
Ramesh Singh Bhandari
author_facet Narendra Maharjan
Paleswan Joshi Lakhey
Sumita Pradhan
Bishnu Prasad Kandel
Ramesh Singh Bhandari
author_sort Narendra Maharjan
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Surgery is the mainstay for the management of gastrointestinal cancer patients, but it is associated with various complications. So, identification of pre-operative factors associated with post-operative complications is essential. Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized as a prognostic factor of post-operative complications following various cancer surgeries. This study aimed to determine whether preoperative sarcopenia is associated with postoperative complications following gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from April 2019 to August 2020 at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Nepal. Eighty-nine patients undergoing elective curative gastrointestinal cancer surgery were included in the study. Patients less than 16 years and who did not undergo curative resections were excluded. Sarcopenia was defined using the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI), which was measured via abdominal computed tomography imaging. Postoperative complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the associations of preoperative sarcopenia with postoperative complications using SPSS version 23. Results: Among 89 patients, the mean age was 55.6±13 years, 48 (53.93%) were male, and sarcopenia was present in 36 (40.45%) patients. Clavien-Dindo ≥3 level complication occurred in 17 (47.22%) patients with sarcopenia. Conclusions: Almost half of the patient with sarcopenia developed post operative complications.
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spelling doaj-art-e1656a2f4c384e43b1cce2698720a9882025-08-20T02:37:49ZengNepal Medical AssociationJournal of Nepal Medical Association0028-27151815-672X2025-07-016328710.31729/jnma.9107Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational StudyNarendra Maharjan0Paleswan Joshi Lakhey1Sumita Pradhan2Bishnu Prasad Kandel3Ramesh Singh Bhandari4Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, NepalDepartment of Surgical Gastroenterology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, NepalDepartment of Surgical Gastroenterology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, NepalDepartment of Surgical Gastroenterology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, NepalDepartment of Surgical Gastroenterology, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal Introduction: Surgery is the mainstay for the management of gastrointestinal cancer patients, but it is associated with various complications. So, identification of pre-operative factors associated with post-operative complications is essential. Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized as a prognostic factor of post-operative complications following various cancer surgeries. This study aimed to determine whether preoperative sarcopenia is associated with postoperative complications following gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from April 2019 to August 2020 at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Nepal. Eighty-nine patients undergoing elective curative gastrointestinal cancer surgery were included in the study. Patients less than 16 years and who did not undergo curative resections were excluded. Sarcopenia was defined using the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI), which was measured via abdominal computed tomography imaging. Postoperative complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the associations of preoperative sarcopenia with postoperative complications using SPSS version 23. Results: Among 89 patients, the mean age was 55.6±13 years, 48 (53.93%) were male, and sarcopenia was present in 36 (40.45%) patients. Clavien-Dindo ≥3 level complication occurred in 17 (47.22%) patients with sarcopenia. Conclusions: Almost half of the patient with sarcopenia developed post operative complications. https://www.jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/9107nutrition risk indexpostoperative complicationsarcopenia
spellingShingle Narendra Maharjan
Paleswan Joshi Lakhey
Sumita Pradhan
Bishnu Prasad Kandel
Ramesh Singh Bhandari
Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study
Journal of Nepal Medical Association
nutrition risk index
postoperative complication
sarcopenia
title Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study
title_full Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study
title_fullStr Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study
title_full_unstemmed Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study
title_short Preoperative Sarcopenia in Predicting Postoperative Complications following Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: An Observational Study
title_sort preoperative sarcopenia in predicting postoperative complications following gastrointestinal cancer surgery an observational study
topic nutrition risk index
postoperative complication
sarcopenia
url https://www.jnma.com.np/jnma/index.php/jnma/article/view/9107
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