Quality of life after laparoscopy-assisted pylorus-preserving gastrectomy: an evaluation using a questionnaire mailed to the patients.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the postoperative quality of life (QOL) after laparoscopy-assisted pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (LAPPG) in comparison to laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG).

METHODS

Twenty-one patients with early-stage gastric cancer underwent minimally invasive LADG (n = 12) or LAPPG (n = 9). Demographic and cancer-related data were obtained retrospectively from medical records. QOL was assessed using a 13-item questionnaire and the Japanese edition of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, which were mailed to patients twice postoperatively. Body weight and hemoglobin levels were measured at the same time.

RESULTS

Early upper abdominal pain was rated as significantly worse with LAPPG than with LADG at the first checkup (1.4 vs. 1.0, P = 0.02) but not at the second checkup (1.3 vs. 1.0, P = 0.07). There was a trend toward less body weight loss in the LAPPG patients in comparison to the LADG patients. The serum hemoglobin levels of LAPPG patients at the second checkup showed significantly higher than LADG patients (13.3 vs. 11.6 g/dL, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

LAPPG and LADG produce similar QOL in patients. Trends toward less body weight loss and improved anemia in LAPPG patients may therefore become more pronounced in future studies that have adequate number of the patients and longer follow-up periods.