Function Preserving Gastrectomy and Quality of Life.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Gastroenterology
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Gastric cancer screening advances enable earlier detection, shifting treatment focus to patient quality of life (QoL).
• Function-preserving gastrectomy (FPG) techniques like pylorus-preserving gastrectomy aim to balance oncological safety with gastric function.
• Mitigating postgastrectomy syndromes (e.g., dumping syndrome, bile reflux) is key for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of function-preserving gastrectomy (FPG) in early gastric cancer management.
• To evaluate the impact of FPG on oncological outcomes and patient quality of life.
• To identify challenges and future directions for FPG adoption and optimization.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on function-preserving gastrectomy techniques.
• Analysis of oncological outcomes and quality of life data from FPG studies.
• Examination of quality of life assessment tools (e.g., EORTC QLQ-STO22, KOQUSS-40, PGSAS-45).

Main Results:

• FPG demonstrates comparable short- and long-term oncological outcomes to conventional gastrectomy.
• FPG leads to enhanced nutritional recovery and reduced gastrointestinal sequelae.
• Most current evidence on FPG is limited to East Asia, necessitating global validation.

Conclusions:

• FPG represents a significant advancement in early gastric cancer surgery, prioritizing patient QoL.
• Standardized QoL assessments, multinational trials, and technological integration are vital for FPG's future.
• Overcoming technical complexity and resource intensity is essential for wider FPG adoption.