Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38442453›Full record

SynthesisESMO open2024

Body mass index, weight change, and cancer prognosis: a meta-analysis and systematic review of 73 cohort studies.

H Wen, G Deng, X Shi, Z Liu, A Lin, Q Cheng, J Zhang, P Luo

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in ESMO open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. The effect of BMI on survival outcome of breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
    Pooled it
  5. Guideline
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  7. Association of patient factors and health-related quality of life with weight changes during chemotherapy for colorectal cancer: secondary analysis of the SCOT trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Trial
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  18. Longitudinal trajectories of nutritional markers in patients with de novo Stage IV gastric cancer: a descriptive analysis using one-year survival as a reference.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

H WenDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong; The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong.
G DengDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong; The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong.
X ShiDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong; The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong.
Z LiuState Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing.
A LinDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong. Electronic address: smulinanqi0206@i.smu.edu.cn.
Q ChengDepartment of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan, China. Electronic address: chengquan@csu.edu.cn.
J ZhangDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong. Electronic address: zhangjian@i.smu.edu.cn.
P LuoDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong. Electronic address: luopeng@smu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIdentifying the association between body mass index (BMI) or weight change and cancer prognosis is essential for the development of effective cancer treatments. We aimed to assess the strength and validity of the evidence of the association between BMI or weight change and cancer prognosis by a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis of relevant cohort studies.

methodsWe systematically searched the PubMed, Web of Science, EconLit, Embase, Food Sciences and Technology Abstracts, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases for literature published up to July 2023. Inclusion criteria were cohort studies with BMI or weight change as an exposure factor, cancer as a diagnostic outcome, and data type as an unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) or headcount ratio. Random- or fixed-effects models were used to calculate the pooled HR along with the 95% confidence interval (CI).

resultsSeventy-three cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with normal weight, overweight or obesity was a risk factor for overall survival (OS) in patients with breast cancer (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.22-1.53; P < 0.0001), while obesity was a protective factor for OS in patients with gastrointestinal tumors (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.56-0.80; P < 0.0001) and lung cancer (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48-0.92; P = 0.01) compared with patients without obesity. Compared with normal weight, underweight was a risk factor for OS in patients with breast cancer (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.98-1.35; P = 0.08), gastrointestinal tumors (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.32-1.80; P < 0.0001), and lung cancer (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.22-1.35; P < 0.0001). Compared with nonweight change, weight loss was a risk factor for OS in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

conclusionsBased on the results of the meta-analysis, we concluded that BMI, weight change, and tumor prognosis were significantly correlated. These findings may provide a more reliable argument for the development of more effective oncology treatment protocols.

Indexed as

Body Mass IndexNeoplasmsCohort StudiesHumansObesityPrognosisRisk FactorsWeight Lossbody mass index (BMI)cancermeta-analysisobesitysurvivalweight change

Identifiers

PMID38442453
PMCPMC10925937

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.