Periodontitis and postoperative inflammation in gastric cancer patients: Propensity score analysis

Objective The objective of this study was to clarify the association between preoperative periodontitis and postoperative systemic inflammation in patients with gastric cancer. Subjects and Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 140 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgery at Hiroshima University Hospital between May 2019 and May 2022. Periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) scores were determined to assess periodontitis severity using modified Nesse's methods. Propensity score matching was used to compare patients with high and low PISA scores (> or < the median PISA score of 92.4, respectively). Propensity scores were calculated using a logistic regression model, based on 17 clinical parameters: age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, clinical stage, surgical procedure, surgical approach, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery duration, blood loss during surgery, remaining teeth, and denture use. Results Thirty‐seven patients were propensity‐score‐matched. Participants with high PISA scores had a higher incidence of surgical site infection (10.5%) than those with low PISA scores (5.3%). Moreover, participants with high PISA scores had significantly higher C‐reactive protein levels on postoperative days 1 than those with low PISA scores. Conclusion Preoperative periodontitis may determine the level of postoperative systemic inflammation in patients with gastric cancer.