Long-Term Nutritional Outcomes of Near-Total Gastrectomy in Gastric Cancer Treatment: a Comparison with Total Gastrectomy Using Propensity Score Matching Analysis

This study sought to examine whether near total gastrectomy (nTG) confers a long-term nutritional benefit when compared with total gastrectomy (TG) for the treatment of gastric cancer. Patients who underwent nTG or TG for gastric cancer were included (n=570). Using the 1:2 matched propensity score, 25 patients from the nTG group and 50 patients from the TG group were compared retrospectively for oncologic outcomes, including long-term survival and nutritional status. The length of the proximal resection margin, number of retrieved lymph nodes and tumor nodes, metastasis stage, short-term postoperative outcomes, and long-term survival were not significantly different between the groups. The body mass index values, and serum total protein and hemoglobin levels of the patients decreased significantly until postoperative 6 months, and then recovered slightly over time (P