Predictive Value of NRS2002 and GLIM for Complications After GI Malignancy Surgery

Malnutrition is a common and severe problem in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, adversely affecting surgical outcomes. This prospective cohort study was designed to evaluate and compare the predictive utility of two key nutritional assessment tools. Patients scheduled for elective curative-intent surgery for GI malignancies were enrolled. Within 24 hours of admission, each patient's nutritional status was assessed using both the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) and the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. The study followed these patients through their hospital stay and post-discharge to collect data on the primary outcome of postoperative complications, as well as secondary outcomes including length of hospital stay, hospitalization costs, and unplanned 30-day and 60-day readmissions. The objective is to provide evidence to guide clinicians in using NRS2002 and GLIM for preoperative risk stratification and to identify patients who may benefit from nutritional interventions to improve surgical outcomes.

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 18 years.
• Histopathologically confirmed primary gastrointestinal malignancy (e.g., esophageal, gastric, colorectal cancer).
• Planned curative-intent surgical resection.
• No prior anti-tumor treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy for the current malignancy.
• Provision of written informed consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of other concurrent systemic malignant tumors.
• Emergency surgery.
• Hospital stay less than 48 hours post-surgery.
• Incomplete critical clinical or nutritional data.
• Refusal to participate.