Cutoff values of major surgical complications rates after gastrectomy

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide, and surgical resection remains the mainstay of the therapeutic pathway. Gastrectomy for cancer is still performed in many hospitals, and centralization remains limited to a small number of health systems. Morbidity and mortality after surgery for gastric cancer are surprisingly high. However, while mortality is obviously defined, major morbidity definitions still present some critical points. The aim of this study is to underline the need for universally accepted definitions of major complications and to describe the research agenda of a multicenter, European-based, prospective project launched by the European Chapter of the International Gastric Cancer Association (IGCA), with the goal of providing a list of complications related to gastrectomy for cancer with their definitions.