Preoperative lower body mass index correlates with poorer prognosis in patients undergoing curative laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlations between clinicopathological findings, laboratory data and survival outcome in patients undergoing curative laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients and Methods: Clinicopathological findings and laboratory data, including tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and systemic inflammatory response indicators, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and modified Glasgow prognosis score (mGPS), for 204 patients (tumor stage I-III) undergoing laparoscopic curative surgery for CRC were collected. Results: Elevated CA19-9 and mGPS, and body mass index (BMI) <20 kg/m² were significant indicators of poorer overall survival, while CA19-9 and BMI were validated as independent predictors of overall survival. In addition, BMI <20 kg/m² was a significant independent factor predictive of poorer diseasefree survival. BMI significantly negatively correlated with NLR, which reflects the patients' immune response. Conclusion: Lower BMI is a promising predictor of recurrence and poor prognosis in patients treated by laparoscopic surgery for CRC with curative intent.