Can body mass index predict the outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma? A single-center retrospective study in China.

We carried out a single-center retrospective study to assess the predictive value of body mass index (BMI) in the outcome of Chinese patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). 143 eligible patients were enrolled between January 2008 and May 2015. These patients were stratified into two groups, 74 patients in low BMI group (BMI <23.0 kg/m) and 69 patients in high BMI group (BMI ≥23.0 kg/m). We compared the baseline characteristics, primary response, and survival outcome in two groups. Well-known influence factors were similar between the two groups, while gender was not (p = .023) but did not act as a risk factor. No association between BMI and primary response was observed. Patients with high BMI were inclined to have better overall survival (OS) (p = .018), but we didn't find an association in progression-free survival (PFS) (p = .067). We also found a sex-dependent effect of BMI on OS, with high BMI increased OS in female patients (p = .027) but showed no correlation in male patients (p = .310).