title: [The impact of obesity on the histopathological characteristics of colorectal tumours. An observational study].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To asses the influence of body mass index on the tumour characteristics of patients subjected to colorectal cancer surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective observational study. Patients subjected to curative elective colorectal cancer surgery at Hospital Josep Trueta de Girona (Spain), from 1990 to 2001. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to evaluate differences in tumour characteristics with regard to body mass index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 369 patients with colorectal cancer were included into the study, 213 (57.7%) with colon cancer, and 156 (42.3%) with rectal cancer. For colon cancer patients, when the BMI was higher than 25 kg/m(2), the tumour grade was worst (P=0.011), and when BMI was above 30 kg/m(2) there were more lymph node metastasis. For rectal tumours, the higher the BMI, the more lymph node metastasis (P=0.041), and higher tumour stage (P=0.023).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with a higher BMI have more lymph node metastasis when submitted to elective colorectal cancer surgery. In the case of colon cancer they also have worst tumour grades, and in the case of rectal cancer, a more advanced tumour stage.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía General y Digestiva, Hospital Sanitas La Moraleja, Madrid, España. miguel.garcia.oria@gmail.com
authors.forename: Miguel Juan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: García-Oria Serrano
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Armengol Carrasco
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ortiz
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Codina Cazador
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies