Differences in Factors Affecting the Quality of Life Over Time After the Gastrectomy in Patients With Stage I Gastric Cancer.
Kyung Eun Lee, Kyung Hee Lim
PMID 32487956WHAT IT FOUND
Stage I gastric cancer patients 25 to 36 months after gastrectomy reported higher overall quality of life than patients within 12 months.
Gastric cancer symptoms were most closely tied to overall quality of life.
Key findings
01Patients 25 to 36 months after gastrectomy reported higher overall quality of life than patients within 12 months after surgery.
02Gastric cancer symptom scores had the strongest influence on overall quality of life, followed by physical well-being.
03The strongest influence on overall quality of life differed by time since surgery: gastric cancer symptoms within 12 months, physical well-being at 13 to 24 months, and emotional well-being at 25 to 36 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Single-centre Korean sample, so findings may not apply to other cultures or health systems. No quality of life measured before gastrectomy, so individual change could not be tracked. The study compared different patients at different times since surgery rather than following the same patients over time. Only Stage I patients with no recurrence, no other cancer treatment, and no psychiatric illness affecting quality of life were included, so it does not address more advanced disease or other conditions. Quality of life was self-reported, and some older patients or those with reading and comprehension difficulties had researcher assistance.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher quality of life in the 25 to 36 month group as proof that time after surgery caused improvement. The study compared different patients at different times after surgery, did not measure quality of life before surgery, and did not test any nursing intervention.