Journal of Clinical Medicine
Preoperative Iron Deficiency Anemia and Frailty in Geriatric Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study
By Asiye Özkan Kaya, Resul Yılmaz, Şule Arıcan and 3 others.
Abstract
Objective
Although iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and frailty are common among geriatric surgical patients—frailty has been reported in approximately 31% of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery—prospective data on the association between IDA and frailty in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer remain limited. The primary objective of this study was to compare preoperative frailty, assessed using the total Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) score, a 17-point multidimensional instrument evaluating cognitive, functional, physical, nutritional and psychosocial domains of frailty, between geriatric patients with and without IDA undergoing elective colorectal cancer surgery.
Methods
This study included 120 patients aged ≥65 years scheduled for elective laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. Preoperative frailty was assessed using the EFS. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 13 g/dL; iron metabolism parameters were assessed in anemic patients to determine IDA. The primary outcome was the difference in total EFS scores between patients with and without IDA. Secondary outcomes included early postoperative recovery, postoperative complications, and lengths of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay.