Cancer patients may encounter psychological distress, change of emotional status, and lowered quality of life. It is predicted that similar changes will be shown during the Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) of early stomach cancer. The objective of this study is to evaluate changes of emotional status and quality of life over time depending on baseline level of psychological distress.

Ninety-seven patients indicated with ESD who visited National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital in Korea between May 2015 and June 2016 were evaluated. Psychological distress, emotional status, and quality of life were evaluated at the day before ESD. Follow-up evaluations of them were done at the day after ESD, 2 and 10 weeks later.

The group with high psychological distress showed higher female ratio, more depressive and anxiety symptoms than those of the group with low psychological distress. Psychological distress was related to stress level and lowered quality of life. Repeated measures ANOVA analysis showed that significant differences of depression (MADRS), anxiety (HAM-A), level of stress (GARS), and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) were sustained over time, but the decreasing tendency of the differences between the groups was also noticed.

The study revealed that patients who feel more psychological distress may experience more depressive and anxiety symptoms, increased level of stress, and lowered quality of life. We recommend screening of patients with early stomach cancer for psychological distress before ESD, which may improve subjective life satisfaction of patients during ESD.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.