Safety, Feasibility and Effect of an Individualized Physical Activity Intervention for Gastric Cancer Patient Undergoing Minimally Invasive Gastrectomy: a Pilot Study

Gastric cancer is a major health issue and one of the most common malignance in Korea. With the popularization of cancer screenings and increasing the average lifespan, the number of gastric cancer patients is increased. In the past, most of the research were concerned with survival and recovery after cancer surgery. However, as the medical technology had been developed and recovery rate and survival rate of cancer patients had risen, the patients wanted to return to a daily life and desire for participation for leisure. In other words, the patients who underwent surgery wants to maintain a high quality of life(QOL) level as like prior to cancer surgery.

There are many reports on the effect of the exercise program after cancer surgery. In addition, exercise program was associated with improving the QOL and functional recovery, decreasing a mood of depression, maintaining a muscle mass and improving the survival rate.

However, the subject patients of previous studies were Western people. Therefore, The results were not disclosed whether the exercise program suited to the body characteristics of Korean people. Furthermore there was no exercise program studies for the gastric cancer patients.

Medical service for cancer patients care should include not only diagnosis, treatment as like surgery but efforts on enhancing the quality of life. In other words, post-management education and management program as like exercise program are necessary for the cancer patients after surgery. So, the research about how to practice the exercise program and how to evaluate the effect on the recovery is needed.