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Perioperative blood transfusions associated with reduced survival in gastroesophageal cancers – A Swedish population-based study

Edholm, David ; Linder, Gustav ; Hedberg, Jakob ; Rouvelas, Ioannis ; Johansson, Jan LU orcid ; Lindblad, Mats and Lagergren, Jesper (2024) In European Journal of Surgical Oncology 50(12).
Abstract

Background: Blood transfusion has been associated with decreased long-term survival in cancer patients, possibly due to various immunological factors. We aimed to evaluate if perioperative transfusions decrease survival in patients who undergo resection for esophageal or gastric cancer and to identify factors associated with such events. Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted based on the Swedish National Registry for Esophageal and Gastric Cancer, which prospectively collects clinical data of patients with these tumors. Almost all patients (96 %) resected for esophageal or gastric cancer in Sweden between 2017 and 2022 were included. Survival data were acquired from the Swedish Cause of Death Registry. Multivariable Cox... (More)

Background: Blood transfusion has been associated with decreased long-term survival in cancer patients, possibly due to various immunological factors. We aimed to evaluate if perioperative transfusions decrease survival in patients who undergo resection for esophageal or gastric cancer and to identify factors associated with such events. Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted based on the Swedish National Registry for Esophageal and Gastric Cancer, which prospectively collects clinical data of patients with these tumors. Almost all patients (96 %) resected for esophageal or gastric cancer in Sweden between 2017 and 2022 were included. Survival data were acquired from the Swedish Cause of Death Registry. Multivariable Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for age, fitness, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical access, and pathological TNM stage. Results: Of all 1365 patients, 227 (17 %) received perioperative transfusions. Transfusion was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality within 3 years of surgery (adjusted HR 1.50, 95 % CI 1.17–1.91). To exclude the influence of surgery-related postoperative complications, a sensitivity analysis was performed excluding patients who died within 30 days of resection and the negative impact of transfusions on 3-year mortality remained (adjusted HR 1.30, 95 % CI 1.01–1.68). Increasing age, open surgery, esophagectomy, perioperative bleeding, and nodal tumor involvement were all associated with an increased likelihood of receiving transfusions. Conclusion: Perioperative blood transfusions might have a negative impact on 3-year survival in patients who undergo surgery for esophageal or gastric cancer.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Anemia, Blood transfusion, Esophageal cancer, Gastric cancer, Surgery
in
European Journal of Surgical Oncology
volume
50
issue
12
article number
108690
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:39288560
  • scopus:85203831499
ISSN
0748-7983
DOI
10.1016/j.ejso.2024.108690
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3880ed6a-ac67-40ea-8cc3-23db14b0c94a
date added to LUP
2024-11-12 17:16:54
date last changed
2025-06-11 10:22:26
@article{3880ed6a-ac67-40ea-8cc3-23db14b0c94a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Blood transfusion has been associated with decreased long-term survival in cancer patients, possibly due to various immunological factors. We aimed to evaluate if perioperative transfusions decrease survival in patients who undergo resection for esophageal or gastric cancer and to identify factors associated with such events. Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted based on the Swedish National Registry for Esophageal and Gastric Cancer, which prospectively collects clinical data of patients with these tumors. Almost all patients (96 %) resected for esophageal or gastric cancer in Sweden between 2017 and 2022 were included. Survival data were acquired from the Swedish Cause of Death Registry. Multivariable Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for age, fitness, neoadjuvant therapy, surgical access, and pathological TNM stage. Results: Of all 1365 patients, 227 (17 %) received perioperative transfusions. Transfusion was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality within 3 years of surgery (adjusted HR 1.50, 95 % CI 1.17–1.91). To exclude the influence of surgery-related postoperative complications, a sensitivity analysis was performed excluding patients who died within 30 days of resection and the negative impact of transfusions on 3-year mortality remained (adjusted HR 1.30, 95 % CI 1.01–1.68). Increasing age, open surgery, esophagectomy, perioperative bleeding, and nodal tumor involvement were all associated with an increased likelihood of receiving transfusions. Conclusion: Perioperative blood transfusions might have a negative impact on 3-year survival in patients who undergo surgery for esophageal or gastric cancer.</p>}},
  author       = {{Edholm, David and Linder, Gustav and Hedberg, Jakob and Rouvelas, Ioannis and Johansson, Jan and Lindblad, Mats and Lagergren, Jesper}},
  issn         = {{0748-7983}},
  keywords     = {{Anemia; Blood transfusion; Esophageal cancer; Gastric cancer; Surgery}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Surgical Oncology}},
  title        = {{Perioperative blood transfusions associated with reduced survival in gastroesophageal cancers – A Swedish population-based study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejso.2024.108690}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ejso.2024.108690}},
  volume       = {{50}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}