Quality of Life Outcomes in Gastric Cancer Surgery

Quality of life following surgical management of gastric cancer encompasses a broad spectrum of physical, psychological and social dimensions. Surgical approaches range from endoscopic techniques for early lesions to subtotal or total gastrectomy, often accompanied by reconstructive procedures such as Roux-en-Y anastomosis. Patient-reported outcome measures have become central to evaluating recovery, highlighting patterns of symptom resolution—most functions and most symptoms return to preoperative levels within 6–12 months—while certain issues, notably reflux, diarrhoea and early satiety, may persist. Psychological adaptation, including body image concerns and social reintegration around meals, exerts a lasting influence on well-being. Cross-cultural perspectives underline the need for instruments that capture regional dietary habits and linguistic nuances. Taken together, these findings inform surgical decision-making, survivorship care plans and targeted interventions to optimise long-term health-related quality of life.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Innovative studies have explored the impact of cognitive and procedural refinements on postoperative satisfaction. One investigation demonstrated that providing affirmative feedback to patients who experienced substantial weight loss after gastrectomy led to marked improvements across multiple quality-of-life domains. By reframing weight changes as a positive outcome, participants reported fewer concerns about low body weight and scored higher on global health status, gastrointestinal symptoms and body image scales at one year. In a separate long-term analysis of early gastric cancer survivors, those treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection maintained superior quality of life related to gastric symptoms over a five-year follow-up compared with counterparts undergoing laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy. This advantage persisted after adjustment for confounding factors and underscores the enduring benefit of minimally invasive techniques for appropriately selected patients.

Quality of Life Outcomes in Gastric Cancer Surgery publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in quality of life outcomes in gastric cancer surgery across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gastrectomy: Surgical removal of part (subtotal) or all (total) of the stomach to treat cancer.

EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-STO22: Standardised questionnaires developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer to assess general and gastric cancer-specific health-related quality of life.

Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD): A minimally invasive technique to remove early gastric tumours via endoscopy, preserving gastric anatomy.

Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO): A direct report from patients about their health status or treatment effects without external interpretation.

References

1. Revisiting the use of the EORTC QLQ-STO22 to assess health-related quality of life of patients with gastric cancer: incorporating updated treatment options and cross-cultural perspectives. Gastric Cancer (2024).
2. Patients’ experiences in early satiety after total gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a phenomenological study. Frontiers in Nutrition (2025).
3. Impact on quality of life with affirmative feedback on weight loss after gastrectomy. Scientific Reports (2023).
4. Quality of Life Following the Surgical Management of Gastric Cancer Using Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Current Oncology (2024).
5. Comparison of subjective quality of life after endoscopic submucosal resection or surgery for early gastric cancer. Scientific Reports (2020).