Impact of Postoperative Weight Loss on Survival After Resection for Pancreatic Cancer.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of postoperative body weight loss on long-term survival after resection for pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
A total of 93 patients with primary pancreatic cancer underwent pancreatic resection between April 2005 and December 2011. Patient characteristics, preoperative body mass index, and changes in postoperative body weight were evaluated retrospectively and correlated with long-term survival.


RESULTS
There was no significant association between survival and preoperative body mass index. Body weight fell by 8.4% at 2 months after surgery and by 9.0% at 4 months after surgery. Severe postoperative body weight losses, both at 2 months (P = .033) and 4 months (P = .014) after surgery, were significantly associated with poor prognosis, especially among patients with stage IA-IIA pancreatic cancer (n = 43) (P = .005 at 2 months and P < .001 at 4 months). Additionally, severe body weight loss tended to be associated with shorter survival among patients with stage IIB-III pancreatic cancer (n = 50), although the difference was not significant. Multivariate analysis revealed that postoperative body weight loss was an independent prognostic factor.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study demonstrated that pancreatic cancer patients with severe postoperative body weight loss have poorer postoperative outcomes.
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Daisuke
D
Hashimoto
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Akira
A
Chikamoto
Institute of Resource Development and Analysis, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Masaki
M
Ohmuraya
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Shinya
S
Abe
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Shigeki
S
Nakagawa
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan.
Toru
T
Beppu
Department of Surgery, Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Takamori
Department of Surgery, Kumamoto Regional Medical Center, Japan.
Masahiko
M
Hirota
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kumamoto University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan hdobaba@kumamoto-u.ac.jp.
Hideo
H
Baba
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015431:Weight Loss
body weight; operation; pancreatic cancer; prognosis