BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing mortality, morbidity and survival for gastric cancer in patients 80 years of age and older. METHODOLOGY: This retrospective study of gastric cancer in the elderly was conducted from 2003 to 2008. We examined demographic data, treatment, causes of death and their overall survival. RESULTS: On gastric cancer in the elderly, the stage IV was significantly higher in non-surgery group (47%) than in surgery group (12%). Moreover, non-surgery group had significantly more cardiac disease (p = 0.007) and previous stroke (p = 0.035) than surgery group. Differences in overall survival were statistically significant among stage I (p = 0.025) and stage II/III (p <0.001) patients. The other, the overall survival difference was not statistically significant between surgery group and non-surgery group, in stage IV (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the study, age is not the only contraindication to resection for gastric cancer because when elderly patients undergo curative resection, they do not have a worse prognosis than without surgery group. In the elderly, the surgical strategy must be always modulated on the basis of preoperative comorbidities, the degree of the tumor spread, and the expected equality of life offered by a surgical procedure.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing mortality, morbidity and survival for gastric cancer in patients 80 years of age and older. METHODOLOGY: This retrospective study of gastric cancer in the elderly was conducted from 2003 to 2008. We examined demographic data, treatment, causes of death and their overall survival. RESULTS: On gastric cancer in the elderly, the stage IV was significantly higher in non-surgery group (47%) than in surgery group (12%). Moreover, non-surgery group had significantly more cardiac disease (p = 0.007) and previous stroke (p = 0.035) than surgery group. Differences in overall survival were statistically significant among stage I (p = 0.025) and stage II/III (p <0.001) patients. The other, the overall survival difference was not statistically significant between surgery group and non-surgery group, in stage IV (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the study, age is not the only contraindication to resection for gastric cancer because when elderly patients undergo curative resection, they do not have a worse prognosis than without surgery group. In the elderly, the surgical strategy must be always modulated on the basis of preoperative comorbidities, the degree of the tumor spread, and the expected equality of life offered by a surgical procedure.