Nutritional Risk versus Risk of Sarcopenia Associated to Postoperative Complications and Mortality in Cancer Patients Undergoing Major Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Surgical patients who are at either nutritional or sarcopenia risk may have worst outcomes in the postoperative period. Objective: To investigate whether nutritional or sarcopenia risk is associated with mortality and postoperative complications in cancer patients undergoing major operations. Method: Prospective cohort bicentrical study enrolling 220 adult oncological patients submitted to major surgeries at Cancer Hospital and Santa Casa de Misericordia in Cuiaba-MT. Patients were classified with or without nutritional risk per the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 and sarcopenia risk according to the Strength, Assistance with walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs - and Falls questionnaire preoperatively. The outcomes variables were postoperative infectious complications and death. Results: Patients with nutritional risk showed higher risk of infectious complications (24.6 vs. 5.1%; RR=4.8 CI95% 1.94-12; p<0.001) or die (11.5 vs. 1.0%; RR=11.2 CI95% 1.5-84.0; p=0.002) in post-operation when compared to patients without nutritional risk. There was no association between sarcopenia risk with infectious complications or mortality during post-operation (p>0.05). Conclusion: Oncological patients with nutritional risk have higher risk of developing postoperative infectious complications or die when compared with patients without nutritional risk or in risk of sarcopenia.