Quality of life changes in elderly patients after gastrectomy: perspective of an aged Asian society in the 2010s

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate how elderly gastric cancer patients do postoperatively in terms of quality of life (QoL) compared to younger patients. We also investigated how the QoL of elderly gastric cancer patients has changed over the last decade in the aging population. METHODS: We included 113 elderly (≥70 years) and 202 younger patients, who underwent distal gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer during the 2010s. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaires were used to assess preoperative and postoperative (3-month/1-year) QoL. The baseline QoL and postoperative QoL changes were compared. The elderly patients were further grouped into the early- and late-2010s groups, based on the year of surgery, and their QoL and clinical data were compared. RESULTS: The baseline QoL was significantly different on some scales (physical/role functionings, and pain/dyspnea/dysphagia) in favor of younger patients. The postoperative QoL changes were not different with the exception of emotional functioning (1-year postoperatively) in favor of younger patients. Compared to the early-2010s group, comorbidities were more frequent, and the proportion of stage IA cancer was higher in the late-2010s group. There were no QoL differences with the exception of insomnia and financial difficulties (3-months postoperatively) in favor of the late-2010s group. CONCLUSION: Despite baseline QoL differences, elderly gastric cancer patients did as well as younger patients in terms of postoperative QoL changes. More elderly gastric cancer patients with comorbidities are undergoing gastrectomies nowadays and it does not cause them a significant QoL disadvantage.