Body mass index and survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

There is controversy regarding the effect of obesity on the treatment and survival of ovarian cancer. This study examined the impact of obesity on the treatment and survival outcomes of epithelial ovarian cancer.

The medical records of patients undergoing surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) between January 2000 and February 2010 were reviewed. Patient demographics, surgical outcomes, clinicopathological factors and survival were evaluated and compared according to the body mass index (BMI). The Asian BMI criteria for Koreans were used.

Of a total of 486 patients identified, 31 (6.4%) were underweight (BMI<18.5), 224 (46.1%) were normal (18.5≤BMI<23), 179 (36.8%) were overweight (23≤BMI<27.5) and 52 (10.3%) were obese (27.5≥BMI). All surgical outcome parameters except for wound problems failed to show a significant association with BMI. Similarly, there were no differences in the stage, recurrence rate, pathological features or chemotherapy characteristics, including platinum resistance rates, between the BMI groups. However, overweight and obese patients were significantly older than the underweight and normal body weight patients (P<0.01). A history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus were more common in these overweight and obese patients (P<0.01 for both). There were no differences in progression free survival (P>0.05) or overall survival (P>0.05) according to the BMI. No difference in progression free survival (P>0.05) or overall survival (P>0.05) could be found, even in the subcohort of stages III and IV.

Obesity itself does not affect the surgical and clinicopathological outcomes or even survival in EOC patients.