Objective To explore the association between changes in serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels before and after surgery and early postoperative prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 CRC patients who underwent radical surgery from July 2021 to June 2022. The patients were divided into the increased group (n=34) or the decreased group (n=46) according to the change in serum GGT level from baseline to postoperative day 1. The baseline clinicopathological data of the two groups were compared, and the 1-year postoperative survival of the two groups was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Results The baseline serum GGT levels of the two groups before surgery were comparable (P>0.05). The positive rate of lymph node metastasis in the increased group was higher than that in the decreased group (70.59% vs. 41.30%, χ²=6.744, P=0.009). At 1 year after surgery, the survival rate of the increased group (44.12%, 15/34) was lower than that of the decreased group (65.22%, 30/46), and the difference in survival curves was statistically significant (Log-rank χ²=4.474, P=0.034). Conclusion CRC patients with increased serum GGT levels after surgery have a higher risk of lymph node metastasis and a lower 1-year postoperative survival rate. Perioperative changes in GGT may serve as a reference indicator for prognostic assessment, but its independent predictive value needs to be further verified by studies.

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