Lack of Prognostic Value of BMI for Patients Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal SCC

Esophageal cancers are among the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, with high rates of incidence and mortality (Ferlay et al., 2010; Spechler et al., 2011). There are two major histological types of esophageal carcinoma: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma with considerably varied epidemiological features. ESCC continues to be the major type of esophageal cancer in Asia, whereas esophageal adenocarcinoma predominately affects the whites (Ferlay et al., 2010). In China, the ratio of obesity is increasing. In some studies increased the body mass index (BMI) has been shown to correlate with increased risk for breast, pancreatic, colorectal, and esophageal cancers (Renehan et al., 2008). Carmichael A.R showed that obesity was associated with worse prognosis in both preand post-menopausal women with breast cancer (Carmichael, 2006). Among 4288 colon cancer patients, a BMI greater than 35.0 kg/m2 at diagnosis was associated