Correlation between BMI and Oral Cancer: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study

Abstract

Increased body mass index (BMI) is considered a significant factor in several malignancies of body. It also affects the prognosis of the management of malignancies. Its role in cancer of the oral cavity should also be evaluated as another risk factor other than tobacco, alcohol, virus etc. Therefore this study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between BMI and cancer of the oral cavity. A total of 160 patients (140 males, 20 females) with confirmed histopathologic diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and 200 healthy controls were enrolled. Height and weight of each study subject were measured. BMI was calculated by dividing the weight of the subject in kilograms with the square of the height in the square of metres. Chi-square test was used for evaluation of the level of significance. The number of those subjects with OSCC belonging to the overweight and obese group was 136 while the number of those healthy controls belonging to the overweight and obese group was 24. The statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between BMI and oral cancer. There is a significant correlation between oral cancer and increased BMI. Increased BMI can also be considered as another critical risk factor for oral cancer because it has been found associated with other cancers of the oral cavity.