Study on Association of BMI with Lung Cancer in North Indian Population

BackgroundLung cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer in India. It is considered as the most commonly diagnosed cancer and constitutes the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The majority of lung cancer is due to smoking. Tobacco use has been reported to be one of the main causes of lung cancer. It has been observed in previous studies that excess body weight and obesity are protective factors against lung cancer in current and former smokers. MethodsThe present study recruited 235 lung cancer patients. BMI was categorized as underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m), normal weight (BMI 18.5 to <25kg/m), overweight (BMI 25 to <30 kg/m) and obese (BMI≥30 kg/m). The study was conducted to establish the association of BMI with gender, smoking status, and histological subtypes of lung cancer. ResultsOut of 235 patients enrolled, 55.32% were underweight, 40.43% were normal weight, 3.4% of patients were classified as overweight and 0.85% was obese. This study showed a significant association of BMI with smoking status (p<0.0057), while the non-significant association with gender (p=0.75) and histological subtypes (p=0.74). ConclusionWe were concluded that significant association was found between BMI and smoking status, while non significant association was observed between BMI and gender as well as BMI and histological subtypes of lung cancer patients in the north Indian population in this study. Key-wordsBMI, Histological Subtypes, Lung Cancer, Mortality, Smoking INTRODUCTION Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer in India and constitutes the leading cause of cancer related mortality worldwide . Lung cancer is defined as the uncontrolled cell growth of lung tissues which may lead to metastasis, invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs . The majority of lung cancer cases are due to Tobacco smoking and other environmental pollutants have been recognized as risk factors for cancer. The average five-year survival rate after diagnosis is low . It is essential to emphasize the importance of Lung Cancer prevention, and knowledge of modifiable risk factors such as environmental exposures, tobacco smoking and air pollution is prevalent among good quality epidemiological studies that explain the majority of Lung Cancer incidence . The complex interplay of etiological and psychophysical factors is believed to modify the effect of respiratory carcinogens on lung cancer initiation and prognosis . Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: