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Body mass index and prognosis in patients with head and neck cancer.

Authors :: Gama RR
Song Y
Zhang Q
Brown MC
Wang J
Habbous S
Tong L
Huang SH
O'Sullivan B
Waldron J
Xu W
Goldstein D
Liu G
Source :: Head & neck [Head Neck] 2017 Jun; Vol. 39 (6), pp. 1226-1233. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Mar 21.
Publication Year :: 2017
Abstract: Background: Body mass index (BMI) has been associated variably with head and neck cancer outcomes. We evaluated the association between BMI at either diagnosis or at early adulthood head and neck cancer outcomes.<br />Methods: Patients with invasive head and neck squamous cell cancer at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada, were surveyed on tobacco and alcohol exposure, performance status, comorbidities, and BMI at diagnosis. A subset also had data collected for BMI at early adulthood.<br />Results: With a median follow-up of 2.5 years, in 1279 analyzed patients, being overweight (hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4-0.8; p = .001) at diagnosis was associated with improved survival when compared with individuals with normal weight. In contrast, underweight patients at diagnosis were associated with a worse outcome (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1; p < .01).<br />Conclusion: Being underweight at diagnosis was an independent, adverse prognostic factor, whereas being overweight conferred better prognosis. BMI in early adulthood was not associated strongly with head and neck cancer outcomes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1226-1233, 2017.<br /> (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)