Predictive value of the surgical Apgar score on postoperative complications in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical gastrectomy: a single-center retrospective study

Background The surgical Apgar score (SAS) or modified SAS (mSAS) has been reported as a simple and easy risk assessment system for predicting postoperative complications in primary surgery for gastric cancer. However, few studies have described the SAS's utility in gastric surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods One hundred and fifteen patients who received NAC and radical gastrectomy from 2008 and 2015 were included in this study. The SAS was determined by the estimated blood loss (EBL), lowest intraoperative mean arterial pressure, and lowest heart rate. The mSAS was determined by the EBL reassessed using the interquartile values. The predictive values of the SAS/mSAS for postoperative complications were assessed with univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results Among the 115 patients, 41 (35.7%) developed postoperative complications. According to analyses with receiver operating characteristic curves of the SAS and mSAS for predicting postoperative complications, the cut-off value of the mSAS was set at 8. The rates of anastomotic leakage, pancreatic fistula, and arrhythmia in patients with high mSAS (> 8) values were higher than in those with low (0-3) and moderate [1-4] mSAS values. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the operation time, body mass index, and diabetes mellitus were independent risk factors for postoperative complications. The mSAS was not a significant predictor. Conclusion The predictive value of SAS or mSAS for morbidity may be limited in patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery after NAC. Future prospective studies with a large sample size will be needed to confirm the present results.