Body mass index and the incidence of surgical site infection following elective colorectal cancer surgery: A single-centre study

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is a condition where uncontrolled cell growth occurs in the colon or rectum due to genetic changes that transform proto-oncogenes into oncogenes and inactivate tumor suppressor genes. As surgery is the main treatment method for colorectal cancer, complications such as surgical site infection are commonly found. In line with the rising global prevalence of obesity, an elevated body mass index has emerged as a factor closely associated with these complications. This study aimed to determine the association between body mass index and the incidence of surgical site infection among patients undergoing elective colorectal cancer surgery. Method: This study used an analytical observational research design with a retrospective cohort approach. Data were obtained from the medical records of research subjects, consisting of colorectal cancer patients who underwent elective surgery at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta. Sampling was performed using simple random sampling with a sample size of 60 patients. Results: Multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression on association between body mass index and the incidence of surgical site infection resulted in a p-value of 0.019 (p