Quality of life and self-management strategies after gastroesophageal cancer surgery.

Abstract

159 Background: Gastroesophageal cancer surgery can result in significant morbidity and decreased quality of life (QOL). The profound physical changes and symptoms that affect eating/digestion can substantially alter psychological and social well-being. We aimed to describe QOL and dietary/behavioral self-management strategies after gastroesophageal cancer surgery. Methods: Patients who were 6-12 months post-resection completed surveys for QOL (EORTC-QLQ-C30), symptoms (EORTC-QLQ-OES18 or QLQ-STO22), diet modifications, and behavioral adjustments. Scores for validated measures were calculated according to guidelines, and summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: 31 patients (11 esophagectomy, 20 gastrectromy) participated in the study. Surgical approach was 71% minimally invasive (laparoscopic, robotic). Patients reported clinically meaningful (≥10 point difference) worse mean scores compared to reference population means for physical (73.3/100 esophagectomy, 78.3/100 gastrectomy vs. 89.8/100 reference populations), role (63.6/100, 73.3/100 vs. 84.7/100), and social functioning (62.1/100, 75.0/100 vs. 87.5/100). Eating problems (48.5/100) was the worst symptom for esophagectomy patients. Thereafter, problems with taste, cough, reflux, and dysphagia were reported frequently. For gastrectomy patients, eating problems was also the worst symptom (28.2/100), followed by body image disturbance, dry mouth, and pain. Time to comfort with eating after surgery was between 3-12 months. The most common behavioral adjustments include chewing food completely (96%), eating multiple meals per day (90%), controlling meal portions (87%), staying or sitting upright after meals (71%), staying at or close to home more (64%), and eating out less (55%). Conclusions: QOL is greatly reduced after gastroesophageal cancer surgery. Eating problems and associated symptoms persist 6-12 months after surgery. Patients used multiple self-management strategies to control eating problems and symptoms. These strategies varied greatly, suggesting that personalized interventions are necessary to help patients adjust to eating after surgery and improve QOL.