Background: The influence of body mass index (BMI) on the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is largely unknown, particularly in an Asian population. Therefore, we investigated the influence of BMI on survival of patients who underwent surgical treatment for CRC in Korean population.
Methods: This prospective cohort study included CRC patients who underwent surgery between June 2003 and May 2005. Study participants were divided into two BMI groups: normal weight (<23 kg/m(2)) and overweight (≥23 kg/m(2)).
Results: A total of 509 CRC patients were included in this study. Of these, 318 patients (62.5%) were male, and the mean ± SD age was 59.1 ± 11.3 years. Two hundred eighteen patients (42.8%) were included in the normal-weight group and 291 (57.2%) were included in the overweight group. During a follow-up of 62.8 ± 27.2 months, 100 (19.6%) of the 509 eligible patients died, and 72 (15.0%) of 479 experienced recurrence. The overall survival of overweight group was more favorable compared with that of the normal-weight group (P = 0.001), while there was no significant difference in recurrence (P = 0.735). Compared with the normal-weight group, the hazard ratios of death and recurrence, respectively, were 0.615 (95% confidence interval 0.408-925; P = 0.020) and 0.992 (95% confidence interval 0.613-1.604; P = 0.973) for the overweight group.
Conclusions: Overweight is not associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence but rather is associated a favorable overall survival in Asian CRC patients undergoing surgery.