Surgical resection of gastric cancer in the octogenarian population

The medical records of 80 patients whose mean age was 81.1 years (range 80 to 94 years) were retrospectively evaluated for morbidity, mortality, and s urvival following gastric resection for gastric carcinoma. The overall 5-ye ar survival of 68 patients who had undergone a total or subtotal gastrectom y for adenocarcinoma was 11%, with a mean and median survival of 25 and 17. 5 months, respectively In contrast, eight patients who did not undergo gast ric resection for adenocarcinoma were found to have a mean and median survi val of only 3.6 and 2.0 months, respectively. The 30-day perioperative morb idity and mortality rates for patients who had undergone gastric resection were 45.8% and 5.0%, respectively. The total gastric resection group had no perioperative deaths or anastomotic leaks. The conclude that with careful selection of patients and precise surgical technique, gastric resections ca n safely be performed in octogenarian patients with minimal morbidity and m ortality.