Quality of life after gastric cancer surgery

Given the increasing survival rate of patients with gastric cancer, quality of life (QOL) is important for such patients.Postgastrectomy syndrome and chemotherapy can impair a patient's QOL, including daily activities, psychosocial well-being, relationships, and finances.QOL modules facilitate selection of the most appropriate surgical approach and ensure precise assessment of a patient's QOL.We introduces several validated modules for assessing the QOL of patients with gastric cancer, including the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Stomach (EORTC QLQ-STO22) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Gastric (FACT-Ga).We also summarize the commonly used QOL modules and introduce the KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group-40 (KOQUSS-40) questionnaire, a specific QOL assessment tool for patients with gastric cancer.Gastric cancer surgery negatively affects patient QOL.Total gastrectomy (TG) can have a worse impact on QOL than does distal gastrectomy (DG).Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) and proximal gastrectomy (PG) may be advantageous over DG and TG in terms of function and symptoms, but these results remain inconclusive.While laparoscopic surgery offers a short-term QOL benefit, this benefit equalizes with that of open surgery after one year.Robotic surgery may have cognitive functional benefits; however, further studies are required.Precise QOL assessment necessitates selection of a suitable QOL module and resolution of potential validity limitations, such as translation and cultural adaptation.Clinicians should consider the effect of treatment on patient functioning and QOL when deciding on the most appropriate treatment modality and surgical approach for gastric cancer.