title: Study for the quality of life following total gastrectomy of gastric carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The incidence of gastric carcinoma located in the upper third of the stomach has risen in recent years. The surgical procedure most selected is total gastrectomy (TG). So the quality of life (QOL) of the patients following TG arouses people's attention. It is not supported that the treatment for carcinoma located in the upper third of the stomach should be limited to TG. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term QOL after TG.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with radical gastrectomy were included. We studied patients' diet, local symptoms and QOL. The questionnaire was a gastric cancer-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire of Stomach 22 (OLQ-STO22) according to the characteristics of gastric cancer (GC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with patients after proximal subtotal gastrectomy (PSG), patients after TG had a poor recovery within a short time after surgery, but there was no statistical difference after that. The restoration of TG and PSG groups was not as good as that of distal subtotal gastrectomy (DSG) group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The indication of TG for carcinoma located in the upper third of the stomach may be extended properly. Evidence-based medicine should be used to screen better reconstruction mode.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Division III, Central Hospital of Zaozhuang Coal Mining Industry Corp., Zaozhuang City, Shandong, China. jijicao@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yifeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yugui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires