title: Does body mass index (BMI) influence morbidity and long-term survival in gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The long-term survival of patients with gastric cancer is governed by various factors, such as the clinical stage of the cancer, the patient's nutritional state, and the treatment and may be governed by the volume of intraperitoneal adipose tissue. The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between the degree of the patients' body mass index and their long-term survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gastric cancer patients who had undergone a gastrectomy with D2-lymphadenectomy and with resection A and B according to the criteria of the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer Rules were subgrouped into those patients with a body mass index < 0.185 (the lower body mass index group) and those patients with a body mass index > 0.210 (the higher body mass index group). The patient's morbidity and long-term survival rate was retrospectively compared between the 2 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly longer mean survival rate was observed for the lower body mass index group in stage 2 (1667 vs. 1322 days, P = 0.0240). Also, a significantly longer mean survival rate was observed for the higher BMI group in stage 3a (1431 vs. 943, P = 0.0071).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The body mass index is one of the prognostic factors of stage 2 and stage 3a gastric cancer. However, it does not appear to be useful for determining the prognosis of stage 1a, 1b, 3b, and 4a gastric cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fujisawa Municipal Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunisaki
authors.forename: Syunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Chitaka
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kasaoka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors