The effects of obesity on the surgical complications and pathological results in rectal cancer surgery

Ebubekir Gundes; Durmus Ali Cetin; Huseyin Ciyiltepe; Ulas Aday; Aziz Serkan Senger; Selcuk Gulmez; Orhan Uzun; Emre Bozdag; Kamuran Cumhur Deger; Erdal Polat; Mustafa Duman

Volume : VII, Issue : IV, April - 2018

The effects of obesity on the surgical complications and pathological results in rectal cancer surgery

Ebubekir Gundes, Durmus Ali Cetin, Huseyin Ciyiltepe, Ulas Aday, Aziz Serkan Senger, Selcuk Gulmez, Orhan Uzun, Emre Bozdag, Kamuran Cumhur Deger, Erdal Polat, Mustafa Duman

Abstract :

Aim: The aim of this study was to ascertain the effects of body mass index (BMI) on postoperative complications and the total the number of excised and metastatic lymph nodes in patients with low anterior resection (LAR) because of rectal cancer.

Material – Method: A total of consecutive 110 patients, who had undergone low anterior resection in our clinic between 2010 and 2017, were covered by the study. The patients were classified into three groups as per their BMI: Those with a BMI of 24.9 (kg/m2) and below were designated as normal (Group I), those with a BMI of 25–30 (kg/m2) were designated as overweight (Group II), while those patients with a BMI over 30 (kg/m2) were designated as obese (Group III). Comparisons were carried out among the groups with regards to demographic features, surgical duration and the need for blood transfusion, postoperative complications, and histopathological results.

Results: When the groups were scrutinized it was seen that Group III had a higher rate of comorbidity. The clinical characteristics other than comorbidity and the rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications proved to be similar. The results of the pathological analyses conducted among the groups revealed that BMI had no effects on the number of excised lymph nodes, the number of metastatic lymph nodes, and the ratio of metastatic lymph nodes to excised lymph nodes.

Conclusion: We are of the opinion that BMI neither affects the total number of excised and metastatic lymph nodes nor increases the rate of surgical complications in rectal cancer surgery.