title: Implications of BMI for the Prognosis of Gastric Cancer among the Japanese Population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The clinical significance of body mass index (BMI) on the surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients still remains controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects included 427 patients who underwent gastrectomy between January 2001 and December 2005. The patients were principally divided into 3 groups on the basis of BMI: low (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (≥18.5-<25.0 kg/m2) and high (≥25.0 kg/m2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The low-BMI patients had more advanced disease than the other patients. There were no statistically significant differences in the characteristics of the normal- and high-BMI patients. The operation time was longer in the high-BMI group, but there were no differences in terms of lymph node dissection and postoperative complications among these 3 groups. The overall survival and disease-specific survival of the low-BMI group were worse than the other 2 groups. These survival rates of high-BMI group tended to be better than those of the normal BMI group; however, it was not statistically different. A multivariate analysis of these survival rate showed that a low BMI was an independent predictor of a poor prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A low-BMI was an independent factor of poor prognosis for overall and disease-specific survivals after surgery in Japanese patients with gastric cancer. A high-BMI was not a risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kunisaki
authors.forename: Hidetaka Andrew
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Hirochika
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Endo
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061646:Operative Time; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors