Validity and safety of laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy for very elderly advanced gastric cancer patients; retrospective cohort study.

Background: It remains unclear whether laparoscopic gastrectomy with optimal lymphadenectomy is appropriate for very elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer. This study aimed to assess the validity of laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy performed for advanced gastric cancer in patients aged 80 years or more.

Methods: Included in this retrospective study were 122 patients who underwent curative laparoscopic gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer between 2013 and 2018. All patients over 80 years old underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy. We divided patients by age between those who were very elderly (age ≥ 80 years; very elderly group [n = 57]) and those who were non-very elderly (age < 80 years; control group [n = 65]), and we compared patient and clinicopathological characteristics, intraoperative outcomes, and short- and long-term outcomes between the two groups. We also performed multivariate analyses to identify predictors of postoperative prognosis.

Results: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of grade 2 or higher and mean Charlson comorbidity index score and body mass index were significantly different between the very elderly group and the control group. Adjuvant chemotherapy was used in relatively few very elderly group patients. Operation time, blood loss volume, and postoperative morbidity and mortality did not differ between the two groups. The overall survival and disease-specific survival rate of very elderly group patients with the Charlson comorbidity index score of <3 was not significantly different from that of the control group patients.

Conclusion: The treatment of advanced gastric cancer by laparoscopic gastrectomy with D1+ lymphadenectomy to be both safe and effective in the very elderly group patients with the Charlson comorbidity index score of <3.