title: Overweight/obese status associates with favorable outcome in patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a 10-year retrospective study.
abstract: Although the prognostic impact of body mass index (BMI) in patients with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) had been extensively studied, its effect among metastatic NPC patients remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic effect of BMI in patients with metastatic NPC.
  
  
  
  We retrospectively studied 819 patients who were diagnosed with distant metastasis from NPC and received treatment between 1998 and 2007. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to the World Health Organization classifications for Asian populations: underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (BMI 18.5-22.9 kg/m(2)), and overweight/obese (BMI ≥23.0 kg/m(2)). The associations of BMI with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined by Cox regression analysis.
  
  
  
  Of the 819 patients, 168 (20.5%) were underweight, 431 (52.6%) were normal weight, and 220 (26.9%) were overweight/obese. Multivariate analysis adjusted for covariates showed that overweight/obese patients had a longer OS than underweight patients [hazard ratio (HR), 0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.49-0.84] and normal weight patients (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.90); no significant difference in PFS was observed among these three groups (P = 0.407). Moreover, in stratified analysis, no statistically significant differences in the effect of overweight/obese status among different subgroups were observed.
  
  
  
  For patients with metastatic NPC, overweight/obese status was associated with longer OS but not longer PFS compared with underweight or normal weight status.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Wang
authors: W
authors: Li
authors: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Lu-Jun
authors: LJ
authors: Shen
authors: Zhongshan School of Medical, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Zhongshan School of Medical, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Xu-Qi
authors: XQ
authors: Sun
authors: Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Zhongshan School of Medical, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Zhongshan School of Medical, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Zhongshan School of Medical, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Wan-Hong
authors: WH
authors: Shu
authors: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Chen
authors: C
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Medical Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Second People's Hospital of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, P. R. China.
authors: Chang-Chuan
authors: CC
authors: Pan
authors: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.|Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors: Yun-Fei
authors: YF
authors: Xia
authors: State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China. wuph@sysucc.org.cn.|Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, P. R. China. wuph@sysucc.org.cn.
authors: Pei-Hong
authors: PH
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000556:secondary*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000556:secondary*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000556:secondary*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body mass index; Metastasis; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Prognosis