A body shape index has a good correlation with postoperative complications in gastric cancer surgery

The relationship between obesity and surgical complications has been controversial. A Body Shape Index (ABSI) is a newly developed anthropometric index based on waist circumference adjusted for height and weight. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ABSI and surgical complications.

From November 2001 to September 2012, 4,813 patients underwent curative resection for gastric cancer. ABSI was defined as waist circumference divided by (BMI(2/3)height(1/2)). Data of clinicopathologic characteristics and morbidity were collected by retrospective review. Binary logistic regression was used for multivariable analyses to determine whether ABSI was independently associated with postoperative complications.

The incidence of overall surgical complications was 13.4 %, and the most common complication was ileus (2.8 %). In the multivariable analysis, ABSI was an independent factor for overall complications [odds ratio (OR), 1.22; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.48; P = 0.041). However, BMI showed no statistical significance (OR, 1.03; 95 % CI 1.00-1.06; P = 0.063). In the subgroup analyses, ABSI was significantly associated with overall complications regarding open gastrectomy (OR, 1.26; 95 % CI 1.01-1.57; P = 0.039). Regarding laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy, ABSI had no significant effect on overall complications (P = 0.844).

ABSI shows good correlation with surgical complications in patients with gastric cancer. Further studies are needed for the various clinical roles of ABSI, and the results could be helpful to determine the effect of abdominal obesity on gastric cancer surgery and the clinical usefulness of ABSI.