QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC ADENOCARCINOMA AFTER SURGICAL TREATMENT WITH CURATIVE INTENT

Introduction: Surgical resection is the main curative treatment for gastric cancer. However, it may impact negatively on quality of life (QoL), and it is difficult to balance standardized treatment and response to achieve full patient satisfaction. QOL can be used to support therapeutic decisions. Objective: To evaluate QOL and the association of scores in the Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Short Form Health Survey (MOS-SF36) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - For Patients with Gastric Cancer (FACT-Ga) questionnaires, with sociodemographic and clinical aspects and pathological findings of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma submitted to curative surgery. Methods: Cross-sectional study with analysis of medical records and application of the MOS-SF36 version 2 and FACT-Ga version 4 questionnaires. 104 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma undergoing surgery with curative intent participated in three regions of Brazil. Inferential analyzes were used in the comparisons (Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests) and study of relationships between QoL questionnaire scores and the variables: gender, education, income, tumor site, type of surgery, histology (types of Lauren), neoadjuvant and adjuvant, age, postoperative time, staging, degree of cell differentiation and lymphadenectomy (Spearman correlation coefficient). Results: Women presented worse outcomes in FACT-GASTRIC total score and in PWB (Physical Well-Being), EWB (Emotional Well-Being), GaCS (Gastric Cancer Subscale), TOI (Trial Outcome Index), vitality and mental health domains. Patients with distal tumors had better results on FACT-GASTRIC total score, GaCS and TOI domains when compared to proximal tumors. Patients with cardia tumors have better functional capacity scores when compared to proximal tumors. Patients undergoing partial gastrectomy showed better performance on the FACT-GASTRIC total score and on PWB, GaCS, TOI domains when compared to those who underwent total gastrectomy. The abscence of adjuvant therapy showed worse pain scores than its presence. The higher the lymph node staging, the worse the total QOL (FACT-GASTRIC total score; s = -0.200) and the GaCS (s = -0.206), TOI (s = -0.216) and vitality (s = -0.215) domains. The longer the time after treatment, the better the score in physical aspects (s = 0.223). Conclusion: The type of treatment instituted, postoperative time and socio-demographic and anatomical factors influence QOL.

Publication History

Article published online:
23 October 2019