Modified fragility index and surgical complexity score are able to predict postoperative morbidity and mortality after cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the impact of surgical complexity on postoperative complications and mortality, according to patient's frailty (mFI) following surgery for ovarian cancer. Methods Patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer from 2008 to 2018 were identified from our database. A surgical complexity score from 1 to 3 was used to assess the extent of surgery (simple to complex, respectively). mFI with 11 variables, based on mapping the Canadian Study of Health and Aging Frailty Index to the NSQIP comorbidities was evaluated. Data were analyzed using Fisher exact test, independent sample t-test, and logistic regression. Results Of 263 patients identified, 33% reported at least one postoperative complication and 6% had severe complications. BMI ≥ 30 (p = 0.04) increased mFI (p = 0.04) and high-complexity surgery (p < 0.001) were independent predictors of severe complications (G3-G5). Patients with high frailty index score (mFI ≥ 3) who underwent intermediate or high-complexity surgery were at higher risk of severe complications ranging from 29.4% to 50. Conclusions The combined evaluation of mFI and surgical complexity expected may identify patients at higher risk for severe morbidity allowing to stratify patients who are less likely to tolerate a surgical extensive treatment.