Being overweight influences the development of hepatic dysfunction in Japanese patients with non-small-cell lung cancer undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for hepatic dysfunction during cytotoxic chemotherapy in Japanese patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with NSCLC who received cytotoxic chemotherapy at Okayama University Hospital between January 2003 and March 2006. "Overweight" was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. We investigated the incidence and pattern of hepatic dysfunction during chemotherapy and evaluated the possible associations between hepatic dysfunction and several clinical factors, including BMI. Results: Of the 155 Japanese patients enrolled in this study, 19 (12%) were overweight. Grade 2 or worse hepatic dysfunction was observed in 5 of the 19 overweight patients (26%) but in only 13 of the 136 non-overweight patients (10%). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that a higher BMI significantly increased the risk of grade 2 or worse hepatic dysfunction after the initiation of cytotoxic chemotherapy (odds ratio = 4.04, 95% confidence intervals: 1.13-14.5, p = 0.032). Conclusion: Our data suggest that being overweight can influence the development of hepatic dysfunction in Japanese patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy for the treatment of NSCLC, although further investigation is required.