Targeted Temperature Management on Delayed Neurocognitive Recovery in Older Patients After Major Cancer Surgery

With aging population, more older patients will receive major surgery for cancer. Older patients are at increased risk of postoperative neurocognitive complications including delayed neurocognitive recovery (dNCR), which is associated with prolonged hospital stay, raised complications, and impaired quality of life. Intraoperative hypothermia occurs in 57.1%-78.6% of patients undergoing major cancer surgery, especially in the elderly. Studies show that intraoperative hypothermia suppresses immune function, interferes with anesthetic metabolism, and delays anesthesia emergence. All these may be correlated with the occurrence of early postoperative dNCR. This study aims to verify whether intraoperative targeted temperature management (target core temperature: 36.8°C) compared with conventional temperature management (core temperature: 35.5°C) can reduce the incidence of dNCR in older patients undergoing major cancer surgery.

NCT Number	NCT07655687
Lead Sponsor	Peking University First Hospital Collaborators: Peking University Shenzhen Hospital
Conditions	Elderly Patients, Cancer Surgery, Hypothermia, Accidental, Targeted Temperature Management, Delayed Neurocognitive Recovery
Enrollment	1,512 participants
Start Date	2026-06
Primary Completion	2028-10 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-11 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-06-23