Influence of Body Mass Index on Survival and Prognosis in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck.

OBJECTIVE

Differences in body mass index (BMI) were used to analyze the survival and prognosis of SCCHN patients.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted to select 323 patients who underwent surgical treatment for SCCHN from June 2013 to June 2016. The patients were divided into a healthy BMI group (BMI<24kg/m2), an overweight group (24kg/m2≤BMI<28kg/m2) and an obese group (BMI≥28 kg/m2). Various statistical methods were used to summarize and analyze clinical data, complications, disease specific survival (DSS), the overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) within the last 3 y.

RESULTS

At 3 y, OS (54.40%) and DSS (51.94%) were slightly lower in the obese group compared with the overweight (64.62%, 61.92%) and healthy BMI groups (64.66%, 65.02%), but no statistical significance was found in DSS (P=0.178), OS (P=0.123) and RFS (P=0.362). The difference in operation duration (P=0.008) and bleeding volume (P=0.001) in obese patients was consistent with those in diabetes mellitus (P=0.002) and coronary heart disease (P=0.000). A high incidence of pharyngeal fistula was observed in obese (P=0.014) and overweight patients (P=0.025), but mouth floor fistula (P=0.038), lung infection (P=0.047), fat liquefaction (P=0.003) and lower extremities deep venous thrombosis (P=0.020) were only found in the obese group. Cox univariatable and multivariatable analysis showed that clinical stage, T stage, and N stage were independent prognostic factors for patients with SCCHN, which was not related to BMI.

CONCLUSION

BMI was associated with a higher probability of complications. However, BMI had no significant correlation with 3-year OS, RFS and DSS, and was not a prognostic indicator for patients with SCCHN.