Impact of body mass index on perioperative and oncological outcomes in elderly patients undergoing minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The association between elevated body mass index (BMI) and perioperative and oncological outcomes among elderly patients undergoing minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (MIE) remains unclear. METHODS: We performed a single‐center retrospective analysis of 526 consecutive patients aged 65 years or older who underwent MIE for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) between January 2016 and December 2019. Two groups were stratified by BMI: normal (18.5 ≤ BMI < 24 kg/m(2)) and elevated groups (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m(2)). A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to compare perioperative and oncological outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 480 elderly patients were eventually enrolled, with a mean age of 70.2 years (range: 65–87), and 185 patients were eligible for elevated BMI, with a mean BMI of 26.3 ± 1.9 kg/m(2). Compared with the normal BMI group, the elevated BMI group had prolonged operation time (261.7 ± 57.2 vs. 278.9 ± 62.7 mins, p = 0.002) and increased incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia (12.2% vs. 21.6%, p = 0.006). The differences in intraoperative estimated blood loss, transfusion, new‐onset arrhythmia, and conversion rates and postoperative outcomes regarding pulmonary and surgical complications, intensive care unit and 30‐day readmissions, the length of hospital stay, and oncological outcomes regarding R0 dissection, and the number of dissected lymph nodes between two groups were comparable. After a 1:1 PSM analysis, there was no significant difference in both perioperative and oncological outcomes between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among elderly patients undergoing MIE for esophageal SCC, there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that elevated BMI could increase perioperative and oncological adverse outcomes.