Abstract:
Objective To assess the correlation between postoperative albumin changes (ΔALB) and complications in elderly gastric cancer patients with normal serum albumin levels before surgery.
Methods In this study, laboratory indices and postoperative complications of elderly (aged >65 years) gastric cancer patients undergoing radical surgery (R0 resection, D2/D2+ dissection) from January 2014 to December 2018 in Lianyungang Oriental Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify clinical factors that predicted postoperative complications. ΔALB was calculated, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn. The cut-off ΔALB value and diagnostic accuracy were determined. The patients were assigned into high and low ΔALB groups based on the optimal cutoff value, and the complications of the two groups were compared. ΔALB was defined as follows:preoperative albumin level-day 1 after operation (POD1)/preoperative albumin level×100%.
Results This study included 214 eligible patients, and the complication rate was 25.7%. Using Logistic regression analysis, ΔALB, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (POD3), and combined organ resection were identified to be independent risk factors for short-term complications after surgery in patients with normal serum albumin levels. With respect to complications, the area under the ROC curve values of ΔALB, CRP levels (POD3), and combined organ resection were 0.719, 0.609, and 0.614, respectively. The cutoff value of ΔALB was 17.1%, with a sensitivity of 0.564 and specificity of 0.805. Using 17.1% as the cutoff value, 152 cases were assigned to the low ΔALB group and 62 were assigned to the high ΔALB group. The high ΔALB group had higher levels of overall complication rates than the low ΔALB group (all P < 0.05). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Patients with high ΔALB had at a higher risk of short-term complications than patients with low ΔALB (P < 0.001).
Conclusions For elderly gastric cancer patients with normal serum albumin levels before surgery, ΔALB is an independent predictor of short-term complications after surgery. When ΔALB exceeded 17.1%, the risk of postoperative complications increased.