Abstract: Objective:To evaluate the effect of nutritional status on postoperative outcomes for patients with gastric cancer. Methods: Data of 353 gastric cancer patients at Xinjiang Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital between January 2013 and October 2014 were collected prospectively. Preoperative nutritional status was evaluated using Nutrition Risk Screening 2002(NRS 2002). Postoperative complication rates were compared among different preoperative nutritional status. Results:On the basis of NRS2002 , the morbidities of patients with and without malnutrition risk were47 .0% (77 /164) and31 .2% (59 /189), respectively (P=0.002). Among the patients with an NRS score of at least3, the complication rate was significantly lower in the group with preoperative nutrition than in the group of patients without preoperative nutrition support (P=0.013). NRS 2002 was a significant predictor of postoperative complications ( P=0.039, OR= 1.634, 95 % CI:1.025- 2.606) on the basis of multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: As a nutritional evaluation tool, NRS 2002 may predict postoperative complications for gastric cancer patients.