Body mass index is not associated with treatment outcomes of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy: korean data

• Published in: Journal of breast cancer Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 427 - 433
• Main Authors: Lee, Kyung-Hun, Keam, Bhumsuk, Im, Seock-Ah, Kim, Tae-Yong, Han, Sae-Won, Oh, Do-Youn, Kim, Jee Hyun, Lee, Se-Hoon, Han, Wonshik, Kim, Dong-Wan, Kim, Tae-You, Park, In Ae, Noh, Dong-Young, Heo, Dae Seog, Bang, Yung-Jue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Breast Cancer Society 01.12.2012; 한국유방암학회
• Subjects: Original; 일반외과학; Neoadjuvant therapy; Obesity; Breast neoplasms; Prognosis
• ISSN: 1738-6756; 2092-9900
• DOI: 10.4048/jbc.2012.15.4.427

The effects of body mass index on pathologic complete response and survival have not been reported in Korean patients with breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive or prognostic value of obesity in breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A total of 438 stage II or III breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively. In the study, 319 patients (72.8%) were normal weight, 100 patients (22.8%) were overweight, and 19 patients (4.3%) were obese. Baseline clinicopathologic characteristics were not different among the groups, except for age. There were no differences in pathologic complete response rate between the groups (9.7% in normal weight, 10.0% in overweight, 5.3% in obese; p=0.804). Neither overweight nor obese patients showed a significant difference in relapse-free survival compared to normal weight patients (p=0.523 and p=0.931, respectively). Also, no significant difference in overall survival (p=0.520 and p=0.864, respectively) was observed. Obesity or higher body mass index was not significantly associated with pathologic complete response and survival in Korean patients with breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Our results suggest that the prognostic impact of body mass index is different from that of Western patients.