Effect of being overweight on postoperative morbidity and long-term surgical outcomes in proximal gastric carcinoma

Background and Aim: The prevalence of being overweight has risen remarkably in Korea. This study sought to clarify the relationship between being overweight and surgical outcomes in gastric cancer patients. Methods: A total of 410 patients who underwent curative total gastrectomies with D2 dissection from January 2000 to December 2003 were retrospectively studied from a prospectively designed database. The patients were assigned to two groups based upon their body mass index (BMI): non-overweight, BMI < 25 kg/m²; overweight, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². Perioperative surgical outcomes, postoperative morbidity, mortality, recurrence, and prognosis were analyzed. Results: The overweight group had longer operation time and more postoperative complications than the non-overweight group. The two groups were similar in terms of transfusion volumes, postoperative bowel movement, time to initiation of a soft diet, and postoperative hospital stay. Patterns of recurrence and cumulative survival rates were similar for each group. Multivariate analysis showed that being overweight was not a risk factor for recurrence or poor prognosis. Conclusion: Although being overweight was associated with increased operation time and higher risk of complications in gastric cancer patients undergoing curative total gastrectomy, it had no effect on recurrence or long-term survival.