15-Year Experience with Multimodality Therapy Including Esophagectomy for Elderly Patients with Locoregional Esophageal Cancer.

Background: Optimal curative therapy for locally advanced esophageal and esophagogastric junction (EGJ) cancer might not be offered to elderly patients due to patient and treating physician perception of the high risk of therapy. To understand the risk of multimodality curative therapy, including surgical resection in the elderly population, we studied our experience with curative therapy in this patient population and compared the risks and outcomes with those in a younger population.

Study Design: Between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2019, four hundred and five consecutive patients with esophageal or EGJ cancer underwent primary treatment at our institution, including esophagectomy.