Usefulness of preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate to predict complications after curative gastrectomy in patients with clinical T2–4 gastric cancer

Background Gastrectomy with systemic lymphadenectomy is the standard of care for resectable gastric cancer (GC), but it is sometimes associated with postoperative morbidity. Predicting complications is therefore an essential part of risk management in clinical practice. The renal function is routinely evaluated before surgery by blood examinations to determine dose of medication and infusion. However, the value of various parameters of renal function in prediction of postoperative complications remain unclear. Methods We included 315 patients who underwent curative D2 gastrectomy for clinical T2–T4 GC without preoperative treatment, and evaluated the correlation between the incidence of postoperative complications and the indicators of renal function. Results Forty-three patients experienced clinically relevant postoperative complications. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) showed a higher area under the curve for predicting complications compared with urea nitrogen, creatinine, and creatinine clearance. The optimal eGFR cutoff value was 63.2 ml/min/1.73 m 2 , and eGFR