Impact of obesity on survival in patients (pts) with early-stage squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue.

Abstract

6048 Background: Obesity is a risk factor for several malignancies and an independent predictor of worse outcomes. In contrast, low body mass index (BMI) has been associated with increased risk of oropharyngeal cancers and poorer prognosis. In tongue SCC, impaired nutrition, smoking, and alcohol use impact BMI, and pre-diagnosis weight (wgt) loss negatively affects survival. The prognostic effect of obesity in tongue cancer is unknown. Methods: We conducted a single-institution, retrospective study of pts who underwent resection of T1/T2 SCC of the oral tongue. All pts underwent nutritional assessment prior to surgery. BMI was calculated from measured height and wgt at surgery and categorized as obese (≥30), overwgt (25-29.9), or normal (18.5-24.9). The association between BMI and the primary endpoint, disease specific survival (DSS), was evaluated by Cox regression. The effect of BMI on the secondary endpoints, recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS), was also assessed. Results: From 2000 to 2005, 155 pts (90 men, 65 women) of median age 57 (range 18-86) were included. Clinicopathologic characteristics were similar by BMI group. Obesity was significantly associated with adverse DSS compared with normal wgt in univariable (Table) and multivariable analyses (HR 2.87; 95% CI, 1.08-7.67; p=0.04). Obesity was also significantly associated with adverse RFS (HR 2.53; 95% CI, 1.12-5.74; p=0.03). Overwgt subjects may also have worse RFS (HR 1.74; 95% CI, 0.85-3.55; p=0.13). In pts without pre-diagnosis wgt loss (n=94), obesity was significantly associated with adverse OS (HR 2.70; 95% CI, 1.12-6.54; p=0.03). Conclusions: These data suggest that obesity is associated with a worse prognosis in tongue cancer, which may not have previously been appreciated due to confounding by pre-diagnosis wgt loss. [Table: see text]