Minimally Invasive Thoracoabdominal Esophagectomy Is Superior to Minimally Invasive Gastrectomy in Terms of Health-Related Quality of Life

Background and Objectives:There are two operative approaches for adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastric junction: thoracoabdominal esophagectomy or transhiatal extended gastrectomy. Both procedures can be performed minimally invasively. Dependent on the exact localization of the tumor, both approaches are feasible. Aim of this study was to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients after minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) with patients who underwent minimally invasive gastrectomy (MIG). Methods:All patients who underwent MIE or gastrectomy for malignoma since 2014 were identified from our clinical database. The identified patients were contacted and asked to fill out a quality of life questionnaire (QLQ) for general and gastrointestinal QOL (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-OG25). Results:Global HRQOL scores were higher in patients after MIE than after MIG. After MIE, global HRQOL scores were close to the control population. In cancer-specific syndromes, patients after MIE reported lower symptom scores for financial problems, eating, reflux, and eating with others than patients after MIG. Conclusion:In terms of HRQOL, MIE proved superior to MIG in long-term follow-up in this study. Patients after MIE reported a HRQOL close to that of a healthy reference population.