title: Increasing body mass index in Japanese patients with gastric cancer.
abstract: We studied the body mass index (BMI) of 986 patients who underwent potentially curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, in 1971, 1981, 1991, and 2001. The median BMI increased from 20.8 kg/m(2) in 1971 to 22.6 kg/m(2) in 2001 (P, 0.01). The increase was significant in both early and advanced gastric cancers, and in males, but not in females. The proportion of overweight patients (BMI > or = 25.0 kg/m(2)) increased from 9.2% in 1971 to 24.0% in 2001. Obese patients (BMI > or = 30.0 kg/m(2)) were rare. In conclusion, surgeons at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, are increasingly having to operate on fat patients, but obese patients are still uncommon compared to the West.
authors.affiliation: Gastric Surgery Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukagawa
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Katai
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasako
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009765:Obesity; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*