High symptom burden in patients undergoing gastrectomy for cancer

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.