Preoperative Anemia as a Prognostic Risk Factor for Inferior Oncological Survival Following Resection for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: A significant proportion of patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are anemic at the time of resection. In these patients, blood transfusions are omitted because of their potential negative impact on oncological outcomes. The present study aimed to determine the prognostic value of preoperative anemia in resected PDAC patients, irrespective of blood transfusion status.

Materials and methods: This retrospective 2-center cohort study included patients who underwent resection for PDAC between 2013 and 2022. The prognostic role of preoperative anemia was investigated using Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis. A subgroup analysis excluded PDAC patients who received a perioperative blood transfusion.

Results: Among 280 included PDAC patients, 110 (39%) were found to have preoperative anemia. Preoperative anemia was associated with increased use of blood transfusions, with 44 patients (16%) requiring transfusion perioperatively. In the whole cohort, preoperative anemia was an independent predictor of lower disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.518; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.103-2.090, P  = 0.011), but not overall survival. However, when patients who received a perioperative blood transfusion were excluded, preoperative anemia was independently associated with both lower disease-free survival (HR = 1.636; 95% CI = 1.113-2.404, P  = 0.012) and overall survival (HR = 1.484; 95% CI = 1.036-2.127, P  = 0.031).

Conclusions: Preoperative anemia was identified as an independent risk factor for inferior oncological survival after resection for PDAC. These results support the need for increased awareness regarding the potential adverse effects of preoperative anemia on oncological outcomes in PDAC.