Cancer prevalence and mortality rates are rapidly increasing worldwide, making it a leading cause of morbidity and death [1]. Although surgery is considered the primary treatment for most cancers [2], it is not exempt from complications [3]. >40% of patients with cancer undergoing surgery experience postoperative complications [4,5], which are strongly associated with impaired long-term health-related quality of life [6] and survival [4,5]. In addition, many patients face prolonged hospital length of stay (HLOS), which contributes to functional decline [7] and imposes substantial costs on health systems [8].
