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): 117829
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.117829
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.117829
Blood transfusion in gastric cancer surgery: Necessary support or risk
Selin Erel, Mustafa Arslan, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06560, Yenimahalle, Türkiye
Author contributions: Both authors contributed equally to this paper with respect to the conception and design of the study; literature review and analysis; drafting, critical revision, and editing; and approval of the final version.
AI contribution statement: The use of AI-based tools (Claude and DeepL) was employed to provide writing assistance and language polishing. However, these tools were not utilized for data analysis, result interpretation, or research design. All scientific content and conclusions were independently completed by the author. There are no images generated by AI in this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Both authors have nothing to disclose.
Corresponding author: Mustafa Arslan, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Emniyet Mh. Mevlana Blv. No. 47, Ankara 06560, Yenimahalle, Türkiye. mustarslan@gmail.com
Received: December 23, 2025
Revised: February 20, 2026
Accepted: March 26, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 272 Days and 19.8 Hours
Revised: February 20, 2026
Accepted: March 26, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 272 Days and 19.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Anemia is common among patients with gastric cancer. Early identification and optimization of anemia in the preoperative period are essential to improve surgical safety and long-term outcomes. When transfusion is considered for anemia correction, clinicians should carefully balance the immediate hemodynamic benefits against its adverse effects on inflammation, immune modulation, and survival. The implementation of patient blood management strategies throughout the preoperative and intraoperative phases offers an evidence-based approach to minimize transfusion requirements and enhance both perioperative and oncologic outcomes.