This is a single-center, prospective observational cohort study designed to evaluate the association between pretreatment emotional distress and pathologic response to perioperative immunotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. A total of 120 patients planned for neoadjuvant immunotherapy followed by curative surgery will be enrolled. Emotional distress will be assessed using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 before treatment initiation and at prespecified time points during treatment. Participants will be classified into an emotional distress group or a non-emotional distress group according to predefined criteria. The primary endpoint is major pathological response (MPR). Secondary endpoints include pathological complete response (pCR), R0 resection rate, event-free survival (EFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). Exploratory analyses will assess dynamic changes in emotional distress and their associations with peripheral stress markers, peripheral immune markers, and tumor immune microenvironment features.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
120
Not applicable- observational study
major pathological response
Defined as 10% or less residual viable tumor cells in the resected primary tumor specimen after perioperative immunotherapy
Time frame: Assessed on surgical pathology after completion of neoadjuvant treatment and curative resection, approximately 6 to 12 weeks after treatment initiation
Pathological Complete Response (pCR)
Pathological complete response is defined as the absence of residual viable tumor cells in the resected primary tumor and all examined regional lymph nodes after completion of neoadjuvant immunotherapy and curative surgery.
Time frame: Assessed on surgical pathology at the time of curative resection, approximately 6 to 12 weeks after initiation of perioperative immunotherapy
Event-Free Survival (EFS)
Event-free survival is defined as the time from study enrollment to the first occurrence of any of the following events: disease progression during neoadjuvant treatment, failure to undergo curative surgery, postoperative recurrence, or death from any cause.
Time frame: From enrollment up to 24 months
Overall Survival (OS)
Overall survival is defined as the time from study enrollment to death from any cause.
Time frame: From enrollment up to 36 months
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