Predictive value of frailty indices for postoperative outcomes of metastatic spine tumor: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Frailty assessments reliably predict complications and hospital stay length in spine cancer surgery, supporting their use in preoperative planning.
This meta-analysis of 12 studies (n=17,446) demonstrates that standardized frailty indices (mFI-5, mFI-11, MSTFI, JHACG) reliably predict postoperative morbidity, LOS, and discharge complexity in spinal metastasis surgery, while survival prediction remains limited by tumor biology variability. Integration of frailty assessment into preoperative planning for this high-risk cancer population is supported.
What the study was
- Study design
- PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis; 12 observational studies; n=17,446 patients; pooled ORs via fixed-effect model; NOS quality assessment
- Population
- Cancer patients undergoing surgery for spinal metastases
- Sample size
- 17446
- Category
- Diagnostics
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research
Why it surfaced
Well-powered meta-analysis (n=17,446) supporting frailty assessment in spinal metastasis surgery. Score 6 reflects incremental rather than transformative novelty — frailty prediction in surgical oncology is an established area.
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