Longitudinal Analysis of Quality-of-Life Recovery After Gastrectomy for Cancer

Objective The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with quality-of-life recovery after gastrectomy. Methods Patients anticipated to undergo gastric cancer resection were invited to complete the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ C30 and STO22 surveys in the preoperative setting and at 0–1.5 months (early), > 1.5–6 months (intermediate), and > 6–18 months (late) following resection. Quality-of-life recovery was measured as paired differences between pre- and postoperative results. Multivariable linear regression identified factors associated with preoperative quality of life and degree of change following resection. Results Across 393 participants, response rates at the intermediate and late postoperative time points were 58% ( n = 228) and 71% ( n = 277), respectively. Relative to baseline, median global health scale decreased in the early (− 15.1 pts, p