Quality of life and psychological traits of patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal cancer

: The purpose of this study was to assess the pre- and post-operative quality of life (QOL) of patients with gastrointestinal cancer and to investigate the relationship between QOL and various psychological and clinical factors. Eighty-five patients who underwent surgery for gastrointestinal cancer and 26 control patients undergoing surgery for digestive diseases other than cancer were interviewed. Two tests were administered to assess QOL and psychological status, respectively: the Japanese-language version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C 30 and the Japanese-language version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Each test was administered before surgery, before discharge and 6 months after discharge. Changes in EORTC QLQ-C 30 sub-scale scores over time were compared among advanced-phase, early-phase, and control patients. All groups showed significant changes in subscale scores of QOL. The scores of the advanced-phase group indicated worse QOL than the early-phase and control groups in many areas. The results suggest that QOL in gastrointestinal cancer patients is variable over time and is influenced by various clinical factors including the depression and anxiety.