title: Quality of life beyond the early postoperative period after laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy: the level of patient expectation as the essence of quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life after the early postoperative period and before reaching 5 years postoperatively between patients who underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (Group A) and patients who underwent open distal subtotal gastrectomy (Group B).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Korean versions of the European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and a gastric cancer-specific module, the EORTC QLQ-STO22, were used to assess the quality of life of 80 patients who underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy or open distal subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The postoperative period ranged between 6 months and 5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The global health status/quality of life scores of Groups A and B were 56.0 ± 19.0 and 57.4 ± 18.2, respectively (p = 0.729). Group A experienced worse quality of life in role functioning (p = 0.026), cognitive functioning (p = 0.034), fatigue (p = 0.039), eating restrictions (p = 0.009), and anxiety (p = 0.033). Group A showed a trend to experience worse quality of life in physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, insomnia, and body image, albeit without statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After the early postoperative period and before achieving long-term survival, patients who underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy appeared to experience lower quality of life compared to patients who underwent open distal subtotal gastrectomy. This finding may be associated with the patients' erroneously high expectations of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Keimyung University School of Medicine, 194 Dongsan-dong Jung-gu, Daegu, 700-712, The Republic of Korea. peterleess@hanmail.net
authors.forename: Seung Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Wan
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: In Ho
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soo Sang
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sohn
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
references.citation: Ann Surg. 2005 Feb;241(2):232-7
references.pmid: 15650632
references.citation: Surgery. 2002 Jan;131(1 Suppl):S306-11
references.pmid: 11821829
references.citation: Ann Surg. 1999 Jan;229(1):49-54
references.pmid: 9923799
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2000 Jan;14(1):27-31
references.pmid: 10653231
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2007 Dec;21(12):2150-3
references.pmid: 17479329
references.citation: Dig Surg. 2007;24(1):59-65
references.pmid: 17369683
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2008 May;22(5):1402-4
references.pmid: 18365277
references.citation: J Natl Cancer Inst. 1992 Apr 15;84(8):575-9
references.pmid: 1556768
references.citation: Gastric Cancer. 2005;8(2):103-10
references.pmid: 15864717
references.citation: Surgery. 2005 Mar;137(3):317-22
references.pmid: 15746786
references.citation: Arch Surg. 2000 Jul;135(7):806-10
references.pmid: 10896374
references.citation: World J Surg. 2002 Sep;26(9):1145-9
references.pmid: 12209244
references.citation: Gastric Cancer. 2001;4(2):93-7
references.pmid: 11706767
references.citation: J Gastrointest Surg. 2010 Jun;14(6):958-64
references.pmid: 20354807
references.citation: Br J Surg. 2003 Jan;90(1):91-4
references.pmid: 12520582
references.citation: J Med Ethics. 1984 Sep;10(3):124-7
references.pmid: 6334159
references.citation: Surg Laparosc Endosc. 1994 Apr;4(2):146-8
references.pmid: 8180768
references.citation: J Clin Epidemiol. 1988;41(11):1043-53
references.pmid: 3060569
references.citation: Ann Surg. 2008 Nov;248(5):721-7
references.pmid: 18948798
references.citation: World J Surg. 1997 May;21(4):422-33
references.pmid: 9143576
references.citation: Surg Endosc. 2004 Jun;18(6):898-906
references.pmid: 15108105
references.citation: Oncologist. 2002;7(2):120-5
references.pmid: 11961195