Association between preoperative modifiable lifestyle factors and mortality after cancer surgery: a population-based cohort study in South Korea

PURPOSE: We aimed to examine whether preoperative lifestyle factors are associated with mortality after cancer surgery. METHODS: This study used data from the National Health Insurance Service database in South Korea. We included all adult patients who underwent major cancer surgery between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. Three lifestyle factors were evaluated preoperatively: smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. RESULTS: A total of 48,557 patients who underwent major cancer surgery were included in the final analysis. In the multivariable logistic regression modeling, current smokers showed 1.40-fold higher odds of 90-day mortality after cancer surgery (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.14–1.71; P = 0.001) than never smokers. However, alcohol consumption and physical activity were not associated with 90-day mortality after cancer surgery. In the multivariable Cox regression modeling, current smokers showed 1.25-fold higher odds of 1-year mortality after cancer surgery (hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–1.38; P < 0.001) than never smokers. However, alcohol consumption and physical activity were not associated with 1-year mortality after cancer surgery. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, current smoking was associated with worse short- and long-term survival outcomes in South Korea, though preoperative alcohol consumption and physical activity levels were not associated with mortality after cancer surgery.