Is lung cancer resection justified in patients aged over 70 years?
From January 1980 through January 1985, 452 consecutive patients underwent pulmonary resection for primary non-small cell bronchogenic cancer. Forty-seven patients (10.4%) were 70 years old or older: there were 45 men and 2 women, with a mean age of 72.4 years (S.D.: 2.6; range: 70-79). This population was comparable to the 405 younger patients with respect to the type of resection, histology and TNM staging. Whereas the non-fatal complication rate was similar in both groups (25.5% versus 29.9%), the in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in the older patients (12.8% versus 4.7%; P < or = 0.05). The mortality rate after extended resections was significantly higher among the older patients (33.3% versus 6%, P < or = 0.01). The cause of death was myocardial infarction in half the cases; the underlying coronary disease was unrecognized preoperatively in one-third. Five-year survival was comparable in both groups: 29.8% and 33%, respectively. We conclude that pulmonary resection for bronchogenic cancer is justified in patients over 70 years; a careful preoperative assessment ought to be performed and standard resections should be preferred.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sainte-Marguerite Hospital, Marseille, France.
P
P
Thomas
I
I
Sielezneff
J
J
Ragni
R
R
Giudicelli
P
P
Fuentes
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome