Wecare Study in Gastric Cancer Survivors

Smartphone apps have been gaining popularity in the delivery of lifestyle interventions in chronic disease management. In patients with cancer, randomized clinical trials have investigated the effect of smartphone-based interventions and reported improved quality of recovery and equal satisfaction with care compared with conventional in-person follow-up. However, there are no studies yet in which smartphone apps have evaluated the quality of life in patients after gastric cancer surgery.

Surgery is the mainstay of gastric cancer treatment. The proportion of patients with early gastric cancer and their survival rate of gastric cancer patients are increasing in East Asia thanks to the nationwide endoscopy screening program. As the number of long-term survivors after gastric cancer surgery increases, interest in the quality of life after surgery is also increasing. After gastrectomy, the remaining stomach volume is reduced or lost, and the vagus nerve is damaged during the surgery, which has various effects on the motor function and hormone secretion function of the stomach. Patients experience postgastrectomy syndrome, which includes lethargy, decreased appetite, early satiety, weight loss, abdominal distension, gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, diarrhea, anemia, and dumping syndrome. In addition to these physical symptoms, patients experience various symptoms and aftereffects after stomach cancer surgery, including psychological reactions such as fear, anxiety, and depression, and social problems such as avoidance of interpersonal relationships, social isolation, and difficulty returning to society.