Associations of radiological features of adipose tissues with postoperative complications and overall survival of gastric cancer patients

Objectives To evaluate the associations of the radiological features of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) with the postoperative complications and overall survival (OS) of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Methods One hundred forty-two patients underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer from February 2013 to May 2016. The radiological features of SAT and VAT were studied by preoperative computed tomography, and the relationships between the parameters of adipose tissues and the intraoperative and postoperative conditions and OS rate of patients were evaluated. Results A positive linear correlation was found between VAT area and operation duration, and a negative linear correlation was found between VAT density and intraoperative blood loss ( p < 0.05 in both). VAT area was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications. VAT area and VAT density were independent risk factors for OS in gastric cancer. Conclusions A high VAT area was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications of gastric cancer, whereas a low VAT area and high VAT density were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in terms of OS in gastric cancer. Key Points • A large visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area is an unfavourable factor affecting the outcomes of radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. • Low VAT density may be more likely to cause intraoperative bleeding. • VAT area and VAT density were independent risk factors for the OS of patients with gastric cancer.