Impact of body mass index and visceral adiposity on outcomes in colorectal cancer

Aim: Obesity and visceral obesity are closely related to the development of colorectal cancer, as well as other metabolic complications. We investigated the prognostic significance of body mass index (BMI) and visceral obesity in 273 patients with resectable colorectal cancer. Methods: Visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area were measured on digital images of patients computed tomograms obtained before surgery. The patients were divided into two groups according to the cut-off levels of VFA proposed by Oka et al. Men with a VFA of =130 cm2 and women with a VFA of =90 cm2 were classified as obese (VFA-obese) and the others were classified as non-obese (VFA-non-obese). The patients were also divided into an overweight group and a normal range group, according to their preoperative BMI. Results: There was no significant difference in cumulative recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) between the VFA-obese group and the VFA-non-obese group. In the subgroup of patients with Dukes C disease (n = 100) there was no statistically significant difference in RFS and OS between the VFA-obese group and the VFA-non-obese group. The results were similar when the patients were classified according to their BMI. Conclusion: Neither obesity nor increased visceral adiposity has any influence on outcomes in patients with resectable colorectal cancer.