BACKGROUND: The impact of obesity on colon cancer remains unclear. Very few studies of colon cancer surgery have analyzed body mass index (BMI) as a continuous variable, with no such reports from Japan. This study examined the association between BMI as a continuous variable and short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for obese colon cancer patients. METHODS: Obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m RESULTS: Among patients meeting the study criteria, 1036 were examined. BMI as a continuous variable correlated with log-transformed operative time (regression coefficient: 0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.012-0.028, CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that BMI as a continuous variable correlated with operative time and blood loss. RFS was possibly better in the severely obese patients (BMI ≥28.5 kg/m