Abstract
Gastric cancer is a malignant disease with a poor prognosis in the Czech Republic. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced stage disease and therefore undergo palliative treatment.
Very small percentage undergo palliative chemotherapy. The aim of prospective study of patients was to assess the quality of life of those undergoing chemotherapy.
The results showed that chemotherapy reduced the quality of life for these patients. Treatment of patients with gastric cancer must be undertaken on an individual basis.
Is it important the patient must play an active role in the decision process regarding chemotherapy. Because chemotherapy treatment has a detrimental effect on quality of life, the decision should be based on factors that predict the likely therapeutic effect of chemotherapy.