Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Early Detection and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors
Published on: February 16, 2024
Obesity as an independent predictive factor for pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation in
Soo Young Lee1, Chang Hyun Kim1, Young Jin Kim1
1Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Korea.
Purpose:
The predictive role of obesity on pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) in rectal cancer remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the association between obesity and pathologic response in patients with rectal cancer following nCRT.
Methods:
A total of 320 patients with primary rectal cancer who underwent curative resection after nCRT between January 2010 and September 2014 were enrolled in this study. Obesity was defined as body mass index of ≥25 kg/m2. Clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed to identify independent predictive factors for pCR.
Results:
Among the included patients, 23.4% (n = 75) were obese, and 14.7% (n = 47) showed pCR. Baseline characteristics were generally similar between obese and nonobese patients, except that women (P = 0.001) and cT2 tumors (P = 0.001) were more common in the obese group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that obesity (odds ratio [OR] = 2.051; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.009-4.168), cT2 (OR, 3.614; 95% CI, 1.166-11.202), and pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen <5 ng/mL (OR, 2.921; 95% CI, 1.365-6.253) were independent predictors for pCR. Obesity was not associated with disease-free survival or local recurrence-free survival.
Conclusion:
Obesity was an independent predictive factor for pCR following nCRT in rectal cancer, but was not associated with recurrence. Further studies are needed to clarify the association between obesity and prognosis of rectal cancer after nCRT.
More Related Videos
12:45Robot-assisted Total Mesorectal Excision and Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection for Locally Advanced Middle-low Rectal Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2022
06:15Characterization of Thymus-dependent and Thymus-independent Immunoglobulin Isotype Responses in Mice Using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay
Published on: September 7, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
Obesity
Introduction to Test of Independence
The test statistic for a test of independence is similar to that of a goodness-of-fit test:
Hypothesis Test for Test of Independence
H0: The two variables (factors)...
Assessing Body Temperature - Rectal
Follow these steps for rectal temperature assessment:
Step 1: Perform hand hygiene and don clean gloves to prevent cross-infection.
Step 2: Position the patient in a side-lying position to better visualize the rectal...
Law of Independent Assortment