Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and the third in men. Anaemia is a common condition in patients with CRC.
Aim: In this study, we aimed to retrospectively analyse the relationship between preoperative anaemia (POA) and postoperative complications in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) that underwent elective surgery.
Patients and methods: The data of patients who underwent elective curative surgery for CRC between January 2015 and December 2020 and had pathologically-proven cancer were evaluated retrospectively. We examined the effect of demographic characteristics of patients, preoperative haemoglobin, cancer localization (colon/rectum), American Society of Anaesthesiologist (ASA) classification, preoperative co-morbidity, surgical method (laparoscopic/open), stoma status, tumor stage, presence of preoperative anaemia on surgical site infection, pulmonary complications, renal complications, anastomotic leaks, and need for intensive care and re-operation in the postoperative period.
Results: Of the 352 patients who underwent curative resection for CRC, 177 (50.3%) were diagnosed with POA. The median haemoglobin value was 10.7 g/dl in POA patients while it was 13.6 g/dl in the non-POA group. Regarding the localization of tumor, the patients with tumors on the right colon were more statistically significant in terms of POA (p < 0.05). Patients with POA had a higher rate of hypertension and coronary artery disease compared to patients without POA (p < 0.05). In patients with POA, surgical site infection and need for intensive care were statistically significant in the postoperative period compared to patients without POA (p < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding pulmonary complications, renal complications, anastomotic leaks, and need for re-operation in the postoperative period.
Conclusion: We believe that POA should be corrected prior to surgery to reduce not only the need for intensive care but also surgical site infection in patients undergoing elective curative surgery for CRC.
Keywords: Blood transfusion; colorectal cancer; preoperative anaemia.