BACKGROUND - Previous studies concerning the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in prostate cancer yielded mixed results. We investigated the association by performing a meta-analysis of all available studies.
METHODS - Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE to August 2015. We calculated the summary hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using random-effects models. We estimated combined HRs associated with defined increments of BMI, using random-effects meta-analysis and dose-response meta-regression models.
RESULTS - Thirty-seven cohort studies and one case-control study involving 27 38 000 patients of prostate cancer were selected for meta-analysis. The summary results indicated higher prediagnosis BMI but not postdiagnosis BMI was associated with increased risk of death from prostate cancer. An increment of every 5 kg/m(2) in prediagnosis BMI was associated with a 15% higher prostate cancer-specific mortality (HR=1. 15, 95% CI: 1. 07-1. 23, P<0. 01). Prediagnosis or postdiagnosis BMI showed no effect on all-cause mortality in prostate cancer patients.
CONCLUSIONS - In conclusion, higher prediagnosis BMI is associated with a higher risk of death from prostate cancer. Considering the significant heterogeneity among included studies, these findings require confirmation in future studies. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases advance online publication, 12 January 2016; doi:10. 1038/pcan. 2015. 64.
Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases. 2016 Jan 12 [Epub ahead of print]
S Zhong, X Yan, Y Wu, X Zhang, L Chen, J Tang, J Zhao
Center of Clinical Laboratory Science, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. , Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jinling Hospital of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. , Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. , Center of Clinical Laboratory Science, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. , Departments of Oncology, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, China. , Department of General Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. , Center of Clinical Laboratory Science, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.