Low Body Mass Index Is an Independent Predictive Factor after Surgical Resection in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND: The effect of body mass index (BMI) on postoperative survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been controversial. We retrospectively analysed the effect of preoperative BMI on postoperative outcomes of NSCLC surgery. METHODS: Consecutive 384 NSCLC patients were enrolled. Patients were subdivided into 3 groups: low BMI group (BMI<18.5 kg/m(2)), normal BMI group (BMI=18.5-24.0 kg/m(2)) and high BMI group (BMI>24.0 kg/m(2)). The prognostic significance of BMI was examined retrospectively. RESULTS: The 5-year survival of patients with low, normal and high BMI groups were 46.3%, 74.3% and 84.3%, respectively. The low BMI group had a poorer prognosis than the other groups (p<0.001). The survival of high BMI group had a more favorable trend than that of normal BMI group, but this did not reach statistical significance (p=0.057). On multivariate analysis, significant risk factors for cancer-specific survival were male gender (p=0.0061), non-adenocarcinoma histology (p=0.0003), pN1-2 status (p=0.0007), high serum CEA level (p<0.0001) and low BMI (low vs. others: p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative BMI is an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC patients after surgical resection, with low BMI patients having an unfavorable prognosis.