title: Weight loss and quality of life in patients surviving 2 years after gastric cancer resection.
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.
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Universitari del Mar, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Climent
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Universitari del Mar, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munarriz
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, and University Hospital Bristol National Health Services Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Blazeby
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Universitari del Mar, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dorcaratto
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Universitari del Mar, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ramón
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Unit, Service of Endocrinology, Hospital Universitari del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Carrera
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Unit, Service of Endocrinology, Hospital Universitari del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fontane
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Universitari del Mar, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grande
authors.affiliation: Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Universitari del Mar, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: pera@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pera
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology; D015431:Weight Loss
keywords: Gastric cancer; Quality of life; Surgery; Weight loss