BPG is committed to discovery and dissemination of knowledge
Retrospective Study
Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Sep 27, 2026; 18(9): 120780
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.120780
Risk factors and nomogram for predicting delayed gastrointestinal recovery after radical gastrectomy
Cui-Yun Wang, Hong-Ye He, Shan-Shan Li, Qing-Qing Zhu
Cui-Yun Wang, Hong-Ye He, Shan-Shan Li, Qing-Qing Zhu, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Wang CY contributed to the conception, design, and drafting of the manuscript; He HY performed the statistical analyses and interpreted the results; Li SS was responsible for data collection and literature review; Zhu QQ supervised the overall study and provided final approval of the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final version.
AI contribution statement: AI tools were used solely for language editing and refinement of the manuscript. No AI tools were used for study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of results, or generation of scientific content. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted edits and assume full responsibility and accountability for the integrity, accuracy, originality, and scientific validity of the manuscript and all submitted materials.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (approval No. PJ 2025-11-41).
Informed consent statement: This study was a retrospective analysis based on existing clinical records. The requirement for informed consent was waived by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, as approved together with the study protocol.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Qing-Qing Zhu, MD, Head, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Hefei 230022, Anhui Province, China. yfy264779@fy.ahmu.edu.cn
Received: April 10, 2026
Revised: May 24, 2026
Accepted: June 24, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 157 Days and 23.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is among the most common digestive tract malignancies worldwide, and radical gastrectomy, while the primary curative approach, carries a 15%-35% risk of delayed postoperative gastrointestinal recovery. This complication prolongs hospitalization, increases costs, and may delay adjuvant therapy, ultimately compromising prognosis. Existing predictive studies remain limited by narrow variable selection, small cohorts, and lack of external validation, leaving no clinically applicable prediction model. This study retrospectively analyzes patients undergoing radical gastrectomy to identify independent risk factors and construct a Nomogram model to guide perioperative management.

AIM

To analyze independent risk factors of delayed gastrointestinal recovery in patients after radical gastrectomy and to establish a Nomogram prediction model for validation.

METHODS

A total of 293 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy in our hospital between January 2021 and July 2025 were retrospectively analyzed. On the basis of postoperative gastrointestinal recovery status, patients were divided into a normal group (218 cases) and a delayed group (75 cases). General information, preoperative lab indicators, tumor-related data, and surgery-related data were collected. Independent risk factors were screened by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. A Nomogram prediction model was established according to multivariate analysis results. Discrimination, calibration and clinical value of the models were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA). Validation: Internal validation was performed by the Bootstrap method (1000 repeated samplers).

RESULTS

Among 293 patients, delayed gastrointestinal recovery occurred in 75 cases (25.6%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age ≥ 65 years [odds ratio (OR) = 2.18, 95%CI: 1.14-4.17, P = 0.018], underweight (OR = 2.87, 95%CI: 1.38-5.97, P = 0.005), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade III (OR = 2.42, 95%CI: 1.28-4.58, P = 0.007), preoperative hypoalbuminemia (OR = 2.53, 95%CI: 1.31-4.89, P = 0.006), tumour, node, and metastasis (TNM) stage III (OR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.14-4.06, P = 0.018) and total gastrectomy (OR = 3.28, 95%CI: 1.65-6.52, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for delayed gastrointestinal recovery. The Nomogram prediction model constructed based on the above 6 factors had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.802 (95%CI: 0.747-0.857); the Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded χ2 = 6.823 (P = 0.556); DCA showed that the model had net benefit within a threshold probability range of 0.10-0.75; the corrected C-index after Bootstrap internal validation was 0.793 (95%CI: 0.736-0.850).

CONCLUSION

Age ≥ 65 years, underweight, ASA grade III, preoperative hypoalbuminemia, TNM stage III and total gastrectomy are independent risk factors for delayed gastrointestinal recovery after radical gastrectomy. The nomogram prediction model established in this study has good discriminatory and calibration ability and clinical usefulness, that can preoperatively identify high-risk patients, which provides a scientific basis for formulating individualized perioperative management strategies.

Keywords: Gastric cancer; Radical gastrectomy; Delayed gastrointestinal recovery; Risk factors; Prediction model; Nomogram

Core Tip: Gastrointestinal recovery is crucial after radical gastrectomy; however, delayed gastrointestinal recovery is a common complication following surgery, affecting postoperative outcomes. Age ≥ 65 years, underweight status, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade III, preoperative hypoalbuminemia, tumour, node, and metastasis (TNM) stage III and total gastrectomy were all identified as independent risk factors in this retrospective cohort study. After Bootstrap validation, a Nomogram including these variables showed good discrimination, calibration and clinical utility. Five of the six predictors (age, body mass index, ASA grade, serum albumin, and TNM stage) are identifiable preoperatively within a standard diagnostic workup, while total gastrectomy is determined intraoperatively. This accessibility enables early preoperative risk stratification and guides individualised perioperative management. Application of this approach may help to optimize nutritional intervention, ameliorate surgical planning and contribute to improvement in enhanced recovery after surgery inductees allowing for an expedited return of gastrointestinal activity along with prognostically favorable outcomes for the patient.

Write to the Help Desk