Abstract P6-08-06: Association of body mass index (BMI) with chemotherapy administration and emergency room (ER) visits among breast cancer patients

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 78; no. 4_Supplement; pp. P6 - P6-08-06
• Main Authors: Giordano, SH, Niu, J, Zhao, H, Zorzi, D, Chavez-Mac Gregor, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 15.02.2018
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS17-P6-08-06

Abstract Background: Obese patients may be more likely to have treatment-related complications. Little is known about the association between BMI and chemotherapy-related ER visits and hospitalizations among breast cancer patients. In this study we evaluated the association between BMI and ER visits/hospitalizations in a large sample of breast cancer patients.Methods: We identified beneficiaries from the commercial MarketScan Health Risk Assessment database with breast cancer-specific claims between 2009-2014. All patients underwent mastectomy or lumpectomy and had BMI data available. BMI was categorized as normal (<25), overweight (≥25 and <30) and obese (≥30). Descriptive statistics were used to compare patient and treatment variables by BMI. Chemotherapy-related ER visits/hospitalizations in the 6 months after diagnosis were identified. Cox regression models were used to identify factors associated with ER visits and hospitalizations. Results: Among 7,830 patients included, 33.2% were classified as normal/underweight, 29.5% as overweight and 37.2% as obese. 2,928 (37%) patients were treated with chemotherapy. BMI differed significantly according to age, geographic region, comorbidity score, and treatment received. Among patients not treated with chemotherapy, the rates of ER visits/hospitalizations were: 11.4% for normal patients, 13.7% for overweight and 15.2% for obese patients (p=0.004). For chemotherapy-treated patients, the rates of ER visit/hospitalization were: 22.6% for normal patients, 24.3% for overweight and 30.2% for obese patients (p<0.001). In the multivariable model, chemotherapy-treated patients with obesity had higher risk to have ER visits/hospitalizations (HR=1.37, 95%CI 1.14–1.64) than patients with normal BMI. No significant increase was seen among overweight patients (OR=1.09; 95%CI 0.90-1.33). Conclusions: In this cohort of patients, obesity was associated with increased risk of ER visits/hospitalizations, suggesting that careful follow–up is warranted in these patients, particularly among those receiving chemotherapy. Citation Format: Giordano SH, Niu J, Zhao H, Zorzi D, Chavez-Mac Gregor M. Association of body mass index (BMI) with chemotherapy administration and emergency room (ER) visits among breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-08-06.