Gastric cancer in the elderly

Abstract

Nowadays an increased number of elderly patients undergo surgery for gastric cancer. The old age by itself does not seem to represent a prohibitive risk factor anymore. Two groups of patients operated on of gastric cancer at our surgical unit ( Group A=378 patients younger or as old as 65 years and Group B=330 patients older than 65 year) we recompared. There were not stastically significant differences between the two groups in terms of number of performed radical exereses (57,7% vs. 42,3% respectively), kind of resective opera tion (total gastrectomy or subtotal gastrectomy) and extent of lymphadenectomy (D2-D3 type: 64,7% vs 63,8% respectively). The location of tumor, the distribution by stage and the long term survival of radically resected cases were not statistically different in the two groups of patients. Five - years urvival after radical resection was 56,8% and 54,0% respectively. We conclude that elderly patients in good clinical conditions affected by gastric cancer should undergo radical resection with lymphadenectomy such exstensive as D2-D3 type.