Predictive value of 5-Factor modified frailty index in Oncologic and benign hysterectomies

•The mFI-5 is an easy-to-use frailty index consisting of five readily-available health factors.•The mFI-5 is strongly predictive of mortality within 30 days of hysterectomy in both benign and oncologic populations.•The ability of the mFI-5 to predict postoperative morbidity and readmission varies between benign and oncologic populations.•The mFI-5 can simplify identification of high-risk patients, providing an opportunity for preoperative rehabilitation. The 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) has been validated against the original 11-factor modified frailty index in gynecologic surgery, however its utility has not been evaluated between benign versus gynecologic oncology patient populations. To evaluate the predictive value of the mFI-5 in identifying women at increased risk for major postoperative complications, readmission, or death within 30 days of hysterectomy for benign and oncologic indications. Patients who underwent hysterectomy between 2015 and 2017 were identified from the NSQIP database and stratified into benign or malignant indications. Demographic and mFI-5 variables were extracted. The mFI-5 was calculated by dividing the sum of all affirmative variables by the total number of input variables in the database. Logistic regression modeling was performed adjusting for confounders. C-statistic with 95% CI was obtained post-regression. 80,293 hysterectomies (59,078 benign and 21,215 oncologic) were identified. The benign group was more likely to have an mFI-5 score of 0 (70 % vs 50 %, p = 0.001) and had shorter operative times (p = 0.001). In the benign group, mFI-5 was a strong predictor of mortality (c = 0.819, CI 0.704–0.933). Within the oncology group, the mFI-5 was a strong predictor of mortality (c = 0.801, CI 0.750–0.851), particularly for uterine and cervical cancers. It was moderately predictive of readmission (c = 0.671, CI 0.656–0.686) and strongly predictive of Clavien-Dindo class III and IV complications (c = 0.732, CI 0.713–0.750). The mFI-5 is a strong predictor of 30-day mortality and serious postoperative complications. These findings have the potential to improve identification of high-risk patients in the preoperative setting.