Metastatic spine tumor surgery: does perioperative blood transfusion influence postoperative complications?

Background: The question of independent association between allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) and postoperative complications in cancer surgeries has been controversial and remains so. In metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS), previous studies investigated the influence of ABT on survival, but not on postoperative complications. We aimed to evaluate the influence of perioperative ABT on postoperative complications and infections in patients undergoing MSTS.