Weight loss and quality of life in patients surviving 2 years after gastric cancer resection

Climent Agustín, Marta Carmen; Munarriz, Marina; Blazeby, Jane M.; Dorcaratto, Dimitri; Ramón Moros, José Manuel; Carrera Santaliestra, M. José; Fontane Francia, Laia; Grande Posa, Luís; Pera Roman, Manuel Ramón

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejso.2017.01.239

Weight loss and quality of life in patients surviving 2 years after gastric cancer resection

Citation

Climent M, Munarriz M, Blazeby JM, Dorcaratto D, Ramón JM, Carrera MJ. Et al. Weight loss and quality of life in patients surviving 2 years after gastric cancer resection. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2017 Jul;43(7):1337-1343. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2017.01.239

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is common in patients undergoing gastric cancer resection, leading to weight loss, although little is known about how this impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQL). This study aimed to explore the association between HRQL and weight loss in patients 2 years after curative gastric cancer resection. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing curative gastric cancer resection and surviving at least 2 years without disease recurrence were recruited. Patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the specific module for gastric cancer (STO22) before and 2 years postoperatively and associations between HRQL scores and patients with and without ≥ 10% body weight loss (BWL) were examined. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were included, of whom 51 (67%) had BWL ≥10%. At 2 years postoperatively, BWL ≥10% was associated with deterioration of all functional aspects of quality of life, with persistent pain (21.6%), diarrhoea (13.7%) and nausea/vomiting (13.7%). By contrast, none of the patients with BWL <10% experienced severe nausea/vomiting, pain or diarrhoea. CONCLUSIONS: Disabling symptoms occurred more frequently in patients with ≥10% BWL than in those with <10% BWL, with a relevant negative impact on HRQL. A cause-effect relationship between weight loss and postoperative outcome remains unsolved.