Health & Medicinearticle2026-10-23

Body mass index at diagnosis, postdiagnosis change, and role of metabolic comorbidities in relation to survival in nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma patients

Open access0 citations

Abstract

Abstract Background Obesity is a recognized risk factor for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) incidence, but higher body mass index (BMI) measured at diagnosis has been paradoxically associated with improved survival. This study investigated whether postdiagnosis changes in BMI and metabolic comorbidities combined with BMI at diagnosis are associated with survival. Methods This study examined 1289 patients with nonmetastatic RCC (stage I–III) from the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network. BMI was assessed at diagnosis and at 2 and 3 years postdiagnosis. Multivariable Cox regression and restricted cubic spline models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS). Results Modest weight gain (<10%) and stability were most favorable trajectories. Compared with modest weight gain, postdiagnosis weight loss was associated with worse OS and DFS (>10% loss at 2 years: OS HR, 7.77; 95% CI, 3.00–20.16; DFS HR, 3.13; 95% CI, 1.68–5.82), independent of BMI at diagnosis, whereas substantial weight gain was associated with worse OS (>10% gain at 3 years: OS HR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.14–9.32). Nonobese patients with diabetes had significantly worse DFS (HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.22–2.76), whereas the association between obesity and improved survival was mainly limited to patients without diabetes (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58–0.97). Conclusions Postdiagnosis weight trajectory and metabolic health are important prognostic factors for nonmetastatic RCC. Weight stability and absence of diabetes were associated with more favorable outcomes. Incorporating repeated BMI measurements and diabetes status may improve risk stratification during RCC survivorship.

// Source

Authors: Monica Sarker, Zhengyi Deng, ERIC C. KAUFFMAN, Li Tang, Marilyn L. Kwan, Marvin E. Langston, Sumati Gupta, George Daniel Grass, Eric A. Singer, Yousef Zakharia, Paul Vincent Viscuse, Laura S Graham, Saum B. Ghodoussipour, Bodour Salhia, Sean Q. Kern, Adanma Ayanambakkam, Zin War Myint, Jennifer M. King, Seyi Oderinde, Michelle L. Churchman, Robert J. Rounbehler, Ken Batai

Institutions: University of Colorado Anschutz, The Ohio State University, University of Virginia, University of Southern California, Stanford University, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Stanford Medicine, University of Kentucky, Palo Alto University, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, Indiana University, University of Oklahoma, Huntsman Cancer Institute, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Clinical Insights, Markey Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center