Association between Body Mass Index and gastric cancer in Pomeranian men and women

Background
Within the last few decades, the prevalence of obesity has increased rapidly throughout the world. Epidemiological studies indicate a relationship of several types of cancer with obesity. The study aimed was to analyse the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of developing gastric cancer.

Material and methods
A multicenter case-control study was conducted between 2010 and 2015 in Poland. The study included 152 patients with gastric cancer and 152 patients with normal results of esophagogastroduodenoscopy performed in the same period and matched for age, education and sex. BMI was calculated by using patients' height and weight. An analysis of environmental factors associated with the risk of gastric cancer was performed.

Results
The group with the diagnosis of gastric cancer was characterised by significantly higher regular consumption of alcohol and was found to include a higher percentage of smokers compared to the control group. In a subgroup analysis, it was found that there was a significantly higher body mass index among both men and women diagnosed with gastric cancer. A relation between gastric cancer and both overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg / m2) and obesity (BMI≥30 kg / m2) was established. In a multivariate analysis, this was an independent risk factor for gastric cancer.

Conclusions
We suggest that BMI should be considered as an independent risk factor for developing gastric adenocarcinoma, which should lead to further research leading to the development of recommendations for the prevention of gastric cancer for people with high BMI.