Clinical Report: Impact of Perioperative Nutritional Support on Serum Albumin Levels

Overview

This study investigates the effect of perioperative nutritional support on early postoperative serum albumin levels in patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Results indicate that nutritional support is associated with albumin recovery, although the predictive model for albumin improvement requires further validation.

Background

Gastric cancer surgery poses significant metabolic stress and can lead to malnutrition, which adversely affects surgical outcomes. Perioperative nutritional support is recommended to mitigate these risks, yet its specific impact on serum albumin recovery remains unclear. Understanding this relationship is crucial for optimizing postoperative recovery.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Albumin improved in 15.2% of patients post-gastrectomy.
• Nutritional support was associated with a higher Δ albumin compared to no/standard support.
• The gradient boosting model achieved an AUROC of 0.711 for predicting albumin improvement.
• Postoperative albumin improvement was more common in the nutritional support group (19.2%) than in the no/standard support group (12.8%).
• The adjusted odds ratio for binary albumin improvement was 1.331.

Clinical Implications

The findings indicate that perioperative nutritional support may influence early postoperative serum albumin levels in gastric cancer patients.

Conclusion

Perioperative nutritional support is associated with early postoperative serum albumin levels following gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Further validation of predictive models is necessary.

Related Resources & Content

1. Frontiers in Medicine, 2026 -- Perioperative hypoalbuminemia predicts postoperative survival: a large cohort study with global context
2. Frontiers in Oncology, 2026 -- Prediction of acute postoperative protein depletion risk in colon cancer using an in-context learning foundation model: a retrospective cohort study
3. Frontiers in Medicine, 2026 -- Dynamic changes in serum albumin, prealbumin, and retinol-binding protein after head and neck cancer surgery: a retrospective cohort study
4. Evaluating Nutritional Status through Subjective Global Assessment and Its Influence on Surgical Results: A Prospective Investigation in Elderly Colorectal Cancer Patients
5. ESPEN guideline on clinical nutrition in surgery - Update 2025
6. Frontiers | Perioperative nutritional interventions for gastric cancer patients: a meta-analysis of surgical outcomes
7. ESPEN guideline on clinical nutrition in surgery - Update 2025 - PubMed
8. Frontiers | Perioperative nutritional interventions for gastric cancer patients: a meta-analysis of surgical outcomes