AIM: To investigate the occurrence of postoperative complications of gastric cancer surgery, and analyze the potential causes of reoperation for early postoperative complications.METHODS: A total of 1639 patients who underwent radical or palliative gastrectomies for gastric cancer were included in the study. The study endpoint was the analysis of postoperative complications in inpatients.RESULTS: About 31% of patients had early postoperative complications, and complications of infection occurred most frequently. Intra-abdominal hemorrhage and anastomotic leak were the main causes of reoperation, which accounted for about 2.2%. Mortality was 11.1% in the reoperation group, but was only 0.8% in other patients. The duration of postoperative stay in hospital was significantly longer and the total expenditure was markedly higher in the patients who underwent reoperation (P < 0.001). There was no significant association of any available factors in this study with the high rate of reoperation. CONCLUSION: Reoperation significantly increases the mortality rate and raises the burden of the surgical unit. More prospective studies are required to explore the potential risk factors.