Feasibility and Effectiveness of Gastrectomy for Elderly Gastric Cancer Patients.

Background/aim: The benefits of gastrectomy for elderly gastric cancer (GC) patients remain unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of gastrectomy.

Patients And Methods: Patients who had R0 or R1 resection and diagnosed as pathological Stage I-III GC were enrolled in this study. Patients were classified according to age: Elderly group (≥80 years old), non-Elderly group (70-79 years old), Standard group (≤69 years old).

Results: As the age raised, the number of comorbidities increased and patients had a worse physical status. Operative procedure and postoperative complications of the Elderly group were similar to that of the non-Elderly group. The overall survival was similar in pathological Stages I and III between the Elderly and non-Elderly groups, while the Stage II Elderly group had shorter overall survival. Also, the Elderly group did not undergo adjuvant chemotherapy compared to other groups.

Conclusion: Gastrectomy can be performed safely in elderly patients following gastrectomy, survival of elderly patients was similar to non-elderly patients. Therefore, gastrectomy is an acceptable treatment for elderly patients in good condition.