Association of body mass index and postoperative outcome in patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Obesity increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) but little is known about the influence of obesity on the outcome after surgery in Asaian population. We investigated the effect of body mass index (BMI) on overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) in CRC patients. Methods: This retrospective study included 483 patients with stage II-III CRC who underwent colorectal resection between September 2006 and May 2012 at Korea University Anam Hospital. The authors divided patients into two BMI groups: normal weight group (18.5 to 22.9 kg/m2) and overweight group (≥23 kg/m2). Results: In this cohort of patients with stage II-III CRC, 161 patients (33%) were included in the normal weight group and 322 patients (73%) were included in the overweight group. High BMI was associated with better OS (P=0.013) and was an independent prognostic factor for OS in a multivariate analysis (P=0.001). No associations were observed between BMI and RFS. Conclusion: In Korean patients with stage II-III CRC, preoperative overweight was associated with a significant increase in OS, but not RFS. Further studies are needed to determine role of BMI on prognosis in CRC patients.

Keywords

• body mass index
• prognosis
• colorectal cancer