Preoperative anemia and malnutrition predict postoperativecomplications in stage III colorectal cancer : a cross‐sectional study

Authors

  • Naufal Aditya Ramadhan Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia
  • Vito Mahendra Ekasaputra Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia , Department of Doctoral Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia
  • Mohammad Dhanny Akbar Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia
  • Abdullah Rizky Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia
  • Chodidjah Department of Doctoral Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia , Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia
Published 2026-06-01
Issue Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): June 2026
Section Original Research Articles
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30659/sainsmed.v17i1.43739
Keywords: Anemia, Colorectal cancer, Karnofsky index, Malnutrition, Postoperative Complications

Abstract

Colorectal cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We conducted a cross‐sectional
observational study of 65 consecutive stage III colorectal cancer patients from medical records at Sultan
Agung Islamic Hospital (data collected 3–27 Dec 2024) to examine associations between treatment,
preoperative haemoglobin, BMI‐defined nutritional status, CEA, Karnofsky Performance Status,
and postoperative complications. Postoperative complications occurred in 11/14 (78.6%) patients
with mild malnutrition, 2/6 (33.3%) with moderate malnutrition, and 8/8 (100.0%) with severe
malnutrition; malnutrition was significantly associated with complications (p = 0.016). Among anaemic
patients, 24/26 (92.3%) experienced complications, and Anemia was also significantly associated
with complications (p = 0.020). CEA and Karnofsky Index were not significantly associated with
postoperative complications. These findings indicate that preoperative Anemia and malnutrition are
important predictors of postoperative morbidity in stage III colorectal cancer and support routine
preoperative screening and timely correction of haemoglobin and nutritional deficits to improve surgical
readiness and perioperative outcomes.

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© 2026 Author(s). Published by Sains Medika: Jurnal Kedokteran dan Kesehatan. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Ramadhan, N. A., Ekasaputra, V. M., Akbar, M. D., Rizky, A., & Chodidjah. (2026). Preoperative anemia and malnutrition predict postoperativecomplications in stage III colorectal cancer : a cross‐sectional study. Sains Medika: Jurnal Kedokteran Dan Kesehatan, 17(1), 28-34. https://doi.org/10.30659/sainsmed.v17i1.43739

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