J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 113(1): 12-17, 2012

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Feature topic

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER GASTRECTOMY IS THE NEXT ISSUE AFTER SAVING THE LIVES OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC CANCER

Gastrectomy saves the lives of many patients with gastric cancer. However, this surgical treatment is associated with clinical problems called postgastrectomy syndrome (PGS) which affect the quality of life (QOL) of such patients. For surgeons, improving the QOL after gastrectomy is an important goal after performing curative surgery. In the clinical setting, various surgical procedures such as limited resection, function-preserving procedures, and reconstruction using gastric substitutes have been advocated to reduce the severity of PGS. However, the actual conditions and pathophysiology of PGS have not been fully investigated. Various clinical studies and basic research have partially clarified the features and pathophysiology of PGS, although the strategies developed to treat PGS have been limited. The development of standardized, reliable instruments for understanding PGS and performing large-scale collaborative studies are required to improve the diagnosis and treatment of PGS. In Japan, such a project called the PGSAS has recently been completed. The results are being analyzed and will be reported in the near future.

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