Quality of Life, Symptoms, and Self-Management Strategies After Gastroesophageal Cancer Surgery

The most common and effective treatment strategy for gastroesophageal cancer is surgery. Surgical procedures (esophagectomy, gastrectomy) are invasive and complex, and risk for postoperative complications is high (up to 40%).1 Postoperative recovery is slow, with impairments in quality of life (QOL) that can persist ten years after surgery.2 Nutritional symptoms are common (nausea, vomiting, early satiety, diarrhea, pain), and often result in severe malnutrition.3 These symptoms and associated eating problems are often a major source of anxiety for patients postoperatively.

Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - May 9, 2018 Category: Palliative Care Authors: Oliver S. Eng, Jae Y. Kim, Nora Ruel, Dan J. Raz, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, Laleh G. Melstrom, Joseph Chao, Yanghee Woo, Joseph Kim, Virginia Sun Source Type: research