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Erschienen in:
01.06.2015
Short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy in elderly patients with gastric cancer
Erschienen in: Surgical Endoscopy | Ausgabe 6/2015
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Background
Elderly patients are regarded as being at increased risk during major abdominal surgery because of a lack of functional reserve and an increased number of comorbidities. The aim of this study was to compare short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy between elderly and young gastric cancer patients.
Methods
Two-hundred ten patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer at our institution between January 2001 and December 2011 were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into two age groups (younger than 70 years and older than 70 years) and were evaluated with respect to postoperative morbidity, quality of life (QOL), and survival.
Results
Postoperative morbidity was similar in elderly and young groups (18.3 vs. 21.6 %; P = 0.718). Overall survival of the elderly group was significantly worse than that of the young group (P < 0.001). However, disease-specific survival was not significantly different between the two groups. Longitudinal postoperative change in QOL in the elderly group showed a recovery similar to that in
the young group.
Conclusions
Laparoscopic gastrectomy can be performed as safely in elderly patients as in young patients, with comparable postoperative results and long-term outcomes, including QOL, although the life expectancy of elderly patients is shorter.