Objective: Patients with head and neck cancer often suffer from malnutrition. This study aims to investigate the influence of body mass index(BMI) on the prognosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma(LSCC).Methods: A total of 473 patients with LSCC initially treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2005 and July 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model.Results: Low BMI before treatment was significantly associated with poor overall survival in patients with LSCC(P<0.001). BMI was an independent prognostic factor for patients with LSCC.Conclusion: Leanness before treatment was associated with poor prognosis in patients with LSCC. Good nutritional status is favorable to improve survival in patients with LSCC. Objective: Patients with head and neck cancer often suffer from malnutrition. This study aims to investigate the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the prognosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods: A total of 473 patients with LSCC initially treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2005 and July 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model. Results: Low BMI before treatment was significantly associated with poor overall survival in patients with LSCC (P <0.001). BMI was an independent prognostic factor for patients with LSCC.Conclusion: Leanness before treatment was associated with poor prognosis in patients with LSCC. Good nutritional status is favorable to improve survival in patients with LSCC.