title: [Surgical excision of the cancer of the stomach after 75 years of age].
abstract: A retrospective study of 302 patients hospitalized for gastric adenocarcinoma in the period between 1976 and 1987 revealed that 133 of the patients (44%) were over 75 years of age. In order to bring out the characteristics of stomach cancer in the elderly, these patients were compared with younger subjects, as a comparison with a population of under seventies emphasizes the existing differences. Clinical signs, the time necessary for reaching diagnosis, as well as the evolutive stage of the pathology at the time of diagnosis were the same. The incidence of the intestinal histological type, which has a better prognosis, was significantly higher after the age of 75. Operability was decreased due to contraindications related to the patients' general status. Resectability (86 patients, i.e., 77.2%) did not differ significantly. Complications imputable to surgery did not occur more frequently. Anastomotic fistulas were rare, although invariably fatal in the over-seventy-five group. Overall mortality for excision patients over 75 was 12.8%, and did not rise significantly (or exponentially) before the age of 79. Mortality was 14.3% in case of palliative excision versus 9.8% for curative excision. This parameter was nil for the 48 patients classified ASA 1 and 2, and 30% for the 38 patients classified ASA 3 and 4. In this latter group, it was 20% when the operation was curative versus 43% in palliative surgery situations. Post-surgery survival rates were similar to those obtained for the younger subjects. In conclusion, the course of stomach cancer is the same for both the elderly and younger subjects. This study permits to set up certain rules for excision surgery after the age of 75.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benchimol
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Le Goff
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fotiadis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mouroux
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bereder
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bourgeon
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Richelme
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pulcini
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Alberge
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate
vernacular_title: La chirugie d'exérèse du cancer de l'estomac après 75 ans.