Predictive factors for body weight loss and its impact on quality of life following gastrectomy

AIM: To determine the predictive factors and impact of body weight loss on postgastrectomy quality of life (QOL). METHODS: We applied the newly developed integrated questionnaire postgastrectomy syndrome assessment scale-45, which consists of 45 items including those from the Short Form-8 and Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale instruments, in addition to 22 newly selected items. Between July 2009 and December 2010, completed questionnaires were received from 2520 patients with curative resection at 1 year or more after having undergone one of six types of gastrectomy for Stage I gastric cancer at one of 52 participating institutions. Of those, we analyzed 1777 eligible questionnaires from patients who underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y procedure (TGRY) or distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I (DGBI) or Roux-en-Y (DGRY) procedures. RESULTS: A total of 393, 475 and 909 patients underwent TGRY, DGRY, and DGBI, respectively. The mean age of patients was 62.1 ± 9.2 years. The mean time interval between surgery and retrieval of the questionnaires was 37.0 ± 26.8 mo. On multiple regression analysis, higher preoperative body mass index, total gastrectomy, and female sex, in that order, were independent predictors of greater body weight loss after gastrectomy. There was a significant difference in the degree of weight loss (P < 0.001) among groups stratified according to preoperative body mass index (< 18.5, 18.5-25 and > 25 kg/m(2)). Multiple linear regression analysis identified lower postoperative body mass index, rather than greater body weight loss postoperatively, as a certain factor for worse QOL (P < 0.0001) after gastrectomy, but the influence of both such factors on QOL was relatively small (R(2), 0.028-0.080). CONCLUSION: While it is certainly important to maintain adequate body weight after gastrectomy, the impact of body weight loss on QOL is unexpectedly small.