ERAS and Gender in Lung Cancer Surgery: A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Outcomes

Kahya Y., Dursun Ş., Yılmaz S., Aktürk İ., Güneş S. G., Yıldırım Güçlü Ç., ...Daha Fazla

ERAS 2025, Joint International Meeting on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, İstanbul, Türkiye, 18 - 20 Eylül 2025, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: İstanbul
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objective:

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols are implemented in thoracic surgery to

accelerate recovery and reduce postoperative complications. However, the impact of gender

on the clinical response to these protocols remains unclear. This study aims to compare

gender-specific clinical outcomes in patients undergoing lung cancer (LC) surgery managed

under an ERAS protocol.

Methods:

This retrospective study included 80 patients who underwent surgical treatment for resectable

LC between 2024 and 2025 and were managed according to an ERAS protocol. Parameters

evaluated by gender included age, body mass index (BMI), physical status according to the

American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Charlson comorbidity index, pain intensity

during chest tube removal (measured by the Visual Analog Scale, VAS), duration of intensive

care unit stay, and overall length of hospital stay. The presence of postoperative complications

was also recorded. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for continuous variables, and the Chi-

square test for categorical variables. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

Of the 80 patients, 48 were male and 32 were female. The mean age was 64.3 years in males

and 60.1 years in females. Female patients had significantly higher BMI (28.3 vs. 25.5; p =

0.013) and VAS pain scores during chest tube removal (6.0 vs. 3.5; p = 0.0003). No

significant gender-related differences were observed in postoperative complication rates or

hospital stay durations. Although age and comorbidity scores were higher in males, these

differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that gender may influence subjective outcomes such as postoperative

pain in the context of ERAS for LC surgery. The higher pain scores reported by female

patients highlight the need for gender-sensitive analgesic strategies. While ERAS protocols

appear to be equally safe and feasible across genders in terms of major clinical outcomes,

individualized approaches may enhance patient comfort and recovery quality.