Body mass index, diabetes and survival after diagnosis of endometrial cancer: A report from the HUNT-Survey

Abstract

ObjectiveWe studied the association of body mass index (BMI) and diabetes with all-cause death and endometrial cancer-specific death among women with endometrial cancer (EC). MethodsIncluded were 337 women in the Health Surveys in North-Trøndelag, Norway who were followed from EC diagnosis to death or end of follow-up, 30th June 2012. Risks of death associated with BMI and diabetes were estimated as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The risks of EC-specific death were estimated as sub-HRs, after adjustment for competing causes of death. We also studied the risk of death associated with diabetes in women with BMI<25kg/m2 and in women with BMI≥25kg/m2. ResultsDuring the median follow-up time of 6.7years, 166 women (49.3%) died. Diabetes increased the risk of all-cause death (HR 2.14, 95% CI: 1.26–3.63) and endometrial cancer-specific death (SHR, 2.62, 95% CI: 1.07–6.43) after adjustment for age, histological type and stage of EC. BMI was not associated with risk of all-cause or EC-specific death. The increased risk of both all-cause death and EC specific death in diabetic women seemed to be more pronounced in women with BMI<25kg/m2 (HR 6.35, 95% CI: 1.90–21.14) compared to women with BMI>25kg/m2 (HR 1.80, 95% CI: 0.98–3.33). ConclusionsDiabetes, but not BMI, was associated with increased risk of all-cause death and death from EC. The increased risk of death associated with diabetes seemed to be most pronounced in women with BMI<25kg/m2.