title: Gastric cancer in the elderly.
abstract: Nowadays an increased number of elderly patients undergo surgery for gastric cancer. The old age by itself does not seem to represent a prohibitive risk factor anymore. Two groups of patients operated on of gastric cancer at our surgical unit (Group A = 378 patients younger or as old as 65 years and Group B = 330 patients older than 65 year) were compared. There were not statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of number of performed radical exereses (57.7% vs. 42.3% respectively), kind of resective operation (total gastrectomy or subtotal gastrectomy) and extent of lymphadenectomy (D2-D3 type: 64.7% vs 63.8% respectively). The location of tumor, the distribution by stage and the long term survival of radically resected cases were not statistically different in the two groups of patients. Five-year survival after radical resection was 56.8% and 54.0% respectively. We conclude that elderly patients in good clinical conditions affected by gastric cancer should undergo radical resection with lymphadenectomy such extensive as D2-D3 type.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Clinica Chirurgica Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zucchetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negro
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cagossi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate