Between October 1987 and January 1989, a prospective study was performed on the nutritional state of 100 elderly patients aged 65 and over, with digestive neoplasia. We found that 47% were suffering from malnutrition. This was associated to greater postoperative complications and mortality, and prealbumin and weight-loss percentages were the nutritional parameters most often altered, and which showed better correlations to the development of postoperative complications. Based on these two parameters, we prepared a classification system for these patients, dividing them into three surgical risks groups from the nutritional standpoint, which enabled us to select those patients who would most benefit from preoperative nutritional support, and evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment in reducing postoperative complications and mortality, by means of a corresponding prospective study.