PULMONARY RESECTIONS OF CANCER IN OCTOGENARIANS

More and more elderly subjects are offered for pulmonary resection. Th e object of this study was to review the results of excision for cance r in octogenarians. Patients: 51 consecutive patients (44 men, 7 women ) with a mean age of 82 years (80-91) were operated on. 31 lobectomies , 2 bilobectomies, 13 pneumonectomies, 1 segmental resection and 4 exp loratory thoracotomies were carried out. 17 tumours were classed as st age I, 15 as stage II and 15 as stage III. Results: 38 patients (75%) had uncomplicated post-operative periods; the predicted factors for co mplication were the existence of weight loss and alteration of respira tory function. 2 patients (4%) died in the post-operative phase. Neith er the type of operation, the staging or the existence of cardiovascul ar dysfunction had any influence on the post-operative phase. The leve l of the survival at 3 and 5 years was 39% and 16% respectively. 30% o f the late deaths were related to intercurrent events. Conclusions: Pu lmonary excision may be envisaged in an octogenarian who is in good ph ysical and intellectual state with a limited tumour. This surgery in g eneral is applied to a population which probably only marginally consi sts of octogenarians but the results here justify their inclusion in t he indications for selection.