• Anitha Kammili, Pepa Kaneva, Lawrence Lee, Jonathan Cools-Lartigue, Lorenzo Edwin Ferri, and Carmen Leandra Mueller.
• Division of Thoracic and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada. anitha425@gmail.com.
• J. Gastrointest. Surg. 2021 Jan 1; 25 (1): 48-57.

BackgroundPerioperative blood transfusions have been associated with increased morbidity and poorer oncologic outcomes for numerous surgical procedures. However, this issue is understudied among patients with gastroesophageal malignancies. The objective was to clarify the risk factors and impact of perioperative transfusions on quality of life and surgical and oncologic outcomes among patients undergoing gastric and esophageal cancer surgery.MethodsPatients undergoing curative-intent resections for gastroesophageal cancers between 2010 and 2018 were included. Perioperative blood transfusion was defined as any transfusion within 24 h pre-operatively, during surgery, or the primary post-operative hospitalization period. Patient and tumor characteristics, surgical and oncological outcomes, and quality of life were compared.ResultsA total of 435 patients were included. Perioperative transfusions occurred in 184 (42%). Anemia, blood loss, female sex, open surgical approach, and operative time emerged as independent risk factors for transfusions. Factors found to be independently associated with overall survival were neoadjuvant therapy, tumor size and stage, major complications, and mortality. Transfusions did not independently impact overall survival, disease-free survival, or quality of life.ConclusionsPerioperative transfusions did not impact oncologic outcomes or quality of life among patients undergoing curative-intent surgery for gastroesophageal cancers.

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