The 5‐factor modified frailty index is a novel predictive marker of death from other diseases after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Abstract

AimThe 5‐factor modified frailty index (MFI‐5) is a stratification tool to evaluate a patient's frailty. This study determined whether the MFI‐5 is associated with short‐ and long‐term outcomes after curative gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 447 consecutive patients who underwent curative gastrectomy, and evaluated their overall survival (OS), relapse‐free survival (RFS) and cancer‐specific survival.ResultsA total of 75 patients (16.8%) had high MFI‐5 scores (MFI‐5 ≥3). A high MFI‐5 score was significantly associated with advanced age, male sex and severe postoperative complications. Patients with high MFI‐5 scores had significantly poorer OS and RFS than those with low MFI‐5 scores (5‐year OS, 80.3% vs 59.7%, P < 0.01; 5‐year RFS, 77.4% vs 54.9%, P < 0.01). Additionally, a high MFI‐5 score was an independent predictor for OS (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.09–2.61; P = 0.02) and RFS (hazard ratio, 1.80, 95% CI 1.19–2.74; P = 0.01). However, cancer‐specific survival was not significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionsThe MFI‐5 score can be predictive of postoperative morbidity and deaths from other disease after curative gastrectomy after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 750–756.