Preoperative Frailty and Postoperative Outcomes in Older Patients Undergoing Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer

Frailty is associated with reduced physiological reserve and may increase the risk of adverse outcomes following major surgery, particularly in older patients with cancer. Preoperative recognition of frailty may assist clinicians in risk assessment, perioperative planning, and postoperative monitoring.

This single-center prospective observational cohort study will include approximately 80-100 patients aged 60 years or older who are scheduled to undergo elective surgery for gastrointestinal cancer at Van Training and Research Hospital. Before surgery, each participant's frailty status will be assessed using the Fried Frailty Index and the Clinical Frailty Scale. Demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, sex, cancer diagnosis, and relevant perioperative variables, will also be recorded.

Participants will receive routine clinical care, and no treatment or surgical intervention will be assigned by the study protocol. Patients will be followed for 90 days after surgery. Recorded postoperative outcomes will include length of hospital stay, surgical and medical complications, 30-day mortality, and 90-day mortality. The associations between preoperative frailty scores and postoperative outcomes will be analyzed to evaluate and compare the prognostic performance of the two frailty assessment tools.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 60 years or older
• Diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer
• Considered operable and scheduled to undergo elective surgery
• Evaluated at the General Surgery Clinic of Van Training and Research Hospital
• Willing to participate and provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Younger than 60 years
• Undergoing emergency surgery