The nutritional risk is a independent factor for postoperative morbidity in surgery for colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The authors evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition and its effect on the postoperative morbidity of patients after surgery for colorectal cancer.

Methods: Three hundred fifty-two patients were enrolled prospectively. Nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS 2002) score was calculated through interview with patient on admission. Clinical characteristics, tumor status and surgical procedure were recorded.

Results: The prevalence of patients at nutritional risk was 28.1 per cent according to the NRS 2002. The rate of postoperative complication was 27%. There was a significant difference in postoperative complication rates between patients at nutritional risk and those not at risk (37.4% vs. 22.9%, P = 0.006). Nutritional risk was identified as an independent predictor of postoperative complications (odds ratio, 3.05; P = 0.045). Nutritional risk increased the rate of anastomotic leakage (P = 0.027) and wound infection (P = 0.01).

Conclusion: NRS may be a prognostic factor for postoperative complication after surgery for colorectal cancer. A large scaled prospective study is needed to confirm whether supplementing nutritional deficits reduces postoperative complication rates.