Background: There is little data describing symptom burden before or after gastrectomy for patients with cancer. We aimed to examine the perioperative patterns of symptom severity in patients undergoing gastrectomy.
Methods: In this single-institution prospective cohort study, patients scheduled to undergo gastrectomy for cancer completed serial symptom measurement questionnaires preoperatively, at postoperative day (POD) 1-3, and POD 4-7. The percent of patients with moderate to severe scores was calculated at each time point.
Results: Thirty-nine patients completed 94 surveys. Preoperatively, 46% reported at least one moderate/severe symptom. This increased to 88% during POD 1-3 and 79% during POD 4-7. During the preoperative period, 25% of patients reported moderate to severe interference in at least one aspect of daily life. This increased to 73% of patients at both POD 1-3 and POD 4-7.
Conclusions: Patients undergoing gastrectomy for cancer frequently experience symptoms that interfere with daily life. A better understanding of these symptoms may improve patients' experiences with, and recovery from, gastrectomy.
Keywords: gastrectomy; gastric cancer; palliative care; supportive oncology; symptom burden.
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