title: Health-related quality of life after robot-assisted distal gastrectomy in early gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to assess the chronological change in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following robot-assisted distal gastrectomy (RADG) for early gastric cancer (EGC) and to compare the HRQOL of the patients undergoing RADG with that of the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients undergoing RADG for EGC between March 2010 and May 2011 were enrolled. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the gastric cancer-specific module (QLQ-STO22) were completed before the operation and at 1 week as well as 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postsurgery. HRQOL data of the enrolled patients were compared to reference values obtained from the general population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 30 patients were enrolled, and the overall compliance for questionnaire response was 94.4 %. The worst scores for most of the domains were observed at 1 week postsurgery and usually returned to baseline levels within 3 months, except for fatigue, dysphagia, pain, and eating restriction. Diarrhea was the only symptom that did not recovered after 1 year. Before surgery, patients reported significantly worse social function and financial difficulties compared to the general population, which persisted for 1 year postsurgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The immediate deterioration of HRQOL after RADG was restored to baseline levels within 3 months postsurgery in the majority of the patients. Robotic assistance might aid in the rapid recovery of global health status after surgery in EGC patients. Prolonged impairment in social function compared with the general population suggests that psychological support is necessary even for EGC patients.
authors.affiliation: Gastric Cancer Branch, National Cancer Center, 111 Jeongbalsanro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, 410-769, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea, jybark99@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Ji Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Bang Wool
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.forename: Min Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Hong Man
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Keun Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Young-Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Jun Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors