Ma QH, Jin L, Wu J. Letter to the Editor: More than organ repair - emotional risk stratification and mind-body integrated care after intestinal tumor resection. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(6): 116836 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.116836]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jiong Wu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Coloproctology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 110 Ganhe Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200437, China. tcmoctober9@163.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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letter
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Ma QH, Jin L, Wu J. Letter to the Editor: More than organ repair - emotional risk stratification and mind-body integrated care after intestinal tumor resection. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(6): 116836 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.116836]
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jun 27, 2026; 18(6): 116836 Published online Jun 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.116836
Letter to the Editor: More than organ repair - emotional risk stratification and mind-body integrated care after intestinal tumor resection
Qing-Han Ma, Lei Jin, Jiong Wu
Qing-Han Ma, Lei Jin, Jiong Wu, Department of Coloproctology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China
Author contributions: Ma QH wrote the original draft; Jin L and Wu J contributed to reviewing and editing; Wu J contributed to conceptualization; Ma QH, Jin L and Wu J participated in drafting the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: ChatGPT was used during the translation and language polishing process. As non-native English speakers, we used ChatGPT only to assist with translation and language polishing, in order to improve the accuracy, clarity, and readability of the English expression. The translated and polished manuscript was carefully reviewed and confirmed by all authors. In addition, the manuscript was further edited by a professional language editing service. We confirm that all scientific content, data analysis, study design, interpretation of results, and conclusions were completed by the authors. The authors take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Jiong Wu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Coloproctology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 110 Ganhe Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200437, China. tcmoctober9@163.com
Received: November 24, 2025 Revised: December 13, 2025 Accepted: January 26, 2026 Published online: June 27, 2026 Processing time: 205 Days and 1.1 Hours
Abstract
Wei et al published a prospective observational study in World Journal of Gastroenterology combined mixed-effects models, mediation analysis, and an extreme gradient boosting algorithm to evaluate the incidence of postoperative anxiety and depression in patients undergoing intestinal tumor surgery, identify their predictors, and assess their impact on quality of life. They found that intraoperative hypotension, high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and low albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR) are important predictors of prognosis and recovery. Building on these findings, this article reinterprets the “psychological state-inflammation/nutrition-quality of life” pathway from the perspective of the gut-immune-brain axis, highlighting the innovative value of incorporating NLR, AFR, and intraoperative hypotension into emotional risk prediction, while also noting limitations in sample size, single-center design, biomarker coverage, and follow-up duration. Future research should advance in three directions - validation, mechanistic studies, and interventions - by including more gut-immune-brain axis-related markers and exploring NLR/AFR-based dynamic intervention strategies to promote integrated mind-body perioperative care.
Core Tip: Postoperative anxiety and depression are common after intestinal tumor surgery and are associated with inflammation, nutritional imbalance, and poorer survival and health-related quality of life. Building on a prospective study by Wei et al, this letter reinterprets the “psychological status-inflammation/nutrition- quality of life” pathway within a gut-immune-brain axis framework and advocates broader biomarker profiling, longer follow-up, and intervention trials triggered by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio thresholds to promote more integrated, health-oriented perioperative care.
