The association between preoperative 25-OH vitamin D levels and postoperative complications in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND: Determining the modifiable risk factors for postoperative complications is particularly significant in patients undergoing colorectal surgery since those are associated with worse long-term outcomes. METHODS: Consecutive newly diagnosed 104 colorectal cancer patients were prospectively included in this single-center observational study. Preoperative serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were measured and analyzed for infectious and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were found to be < 20 ng/ml in 74 patients (71.2%) and ≥ 20 ng/ml in 30 patients (28.8%); and the mean serum 25-OH vitamin D level was 15.95 (± 9.08) ng/ml. In patients with surgical site infection and infectious complications, 25-OH vitamin D levels were significantly lower than patients without complications (p = 0.036 and p = 0.026). However, no significant difference was demonstrated in 25-OH vitamin D levels according to overall postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that vitamin D levels might be a potential risk factor for infectious complications in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.