title: Distribution and Impact of the Visceral Fat Area in Patients With Colorectal Cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were to investigate the distribution of the visceral fat area (VFA) and general obesity and to compare visceral and general obesity as predictors of surgical outcomes of a colorectal cancer resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prospectively collected data of 102 patients with preoperatively-diagnosed sigmoid colon or rectal cancer who had undergone a curative resection at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital between April 2011 and September 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Men with a VFA of >130 cm(2) and women with a VFA of >90 cm(2) were classified as obese (VFA-O, n = 22), and the remaining patients were classified as nonobese (VFA-NO, n = 80).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences in morbidity, mortality, postoperative bowel recovery, and readmission rate after surgery were observed between the 2 groups. However, a significantly higher number of harvested lymph nodes was observed in the VFA-NO group compared with the VFA-O group (19.0 ± 1.0 vs. 13.5 ± 1.2, respectively, P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Visceral obesity has no influence on intraoperative difficulties, postoperative complications, and postoperative recovery in patients with sigmoid colon or rectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hansol Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Geul
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Joh
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Gyung-Mo
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hae-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Colon surgery; Colorectal neoplasms; Complications; Intra-abdominal fat; Surgical outcomes