Association between specific presurgical anthropometric indexes and morbidity in patients undergoing rectal cancer resection.

•Specific anthropometric indexes, but not all, are accurate predictors of increased complication risk.•BMI is not an accurate estimator of anthropometric architecture and surgery-related morbidity.•There is a central role of visceral fat as an independent organ in affecting tissue healing.•Sarcopenia and myosteatosis are associated with an increase risk of surgery-related morbidity and failure to rescue.