Serum Albumin is a Marker of Physical Function in Perioperative Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients

Abstract

Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing postoperative physical function using data collected from perioperative patients with gastrointestinal cancer.[Subjects] Subjects were 101 perioperative patients with gastrointestinal cancer.[Methods] Six-minute walking distance (6MWD) was measured to assess postoperative physical function. Subjects were divided two groups based on the 6MWD of greater or less than 400 m. Demographic data (age, gender, cancer stage, surgical site, and body mass index), intraoperative data (surgical time, blood loss, and surgery type), and biochemical data [serum albumin (Alb), prognostic nutritional index, and C-reactive protein] were collected pre and post-operatively.[Results] Multivariate logistic regression, with 6MWD as the dependent variable, identified postoperative Alb as a significantly independent variable in both groups. [Conclusion] We consider postoperative Alb is useful as an indicator of the impact of surgery on physical function of perioperative patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Change in Nutritional Status and Dysphagia after Resection of Head and Neck Cancer

“…Albumin has a long half-life of approximately 21 days, and because there are many extravascular pools, fluctuations in blood concentration are small; therefore, while it cannot be said to indicate short-term nutritional dynamics, it can be used as an index for long-term nutritional management [ 12 ]. In addition, serum albumin level is a routine examination after surgical resection of HNC; it had been reported to be a useful indicator of the impact of surgery on physical function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer [ 29 ].I It reflects not only nutritional status but also postoperative biological changes such as protein catabolism associated with surgical invasion. For these reasons, serum albumin level was used as a nutritional index in this study.…”