title: Age-associated prognosis following curative resection for colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study is to determine the age-associated prognosis in patients who underwent curative resection for colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1993 and 1999, a total of 136 patients underwent curative surgical procedures for colorectal cancer. The study population was divided into three groups according to the age of the patients. Group A: patients younger than 45 years, group B: patients between 45 and 75 years and group C: patients older than 75 years. Tumour location, Dukes' staging, tumour differentiation and five-year survival were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant association between age and tumour staging or tumour differentiation (p=0.990, p=0.753 and p=0.308, respectively). The overall survival at 5 years was 85.7% for the young patients, 77.5% for the middle-aged patients and 62.5% for the elderly patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This aged-grouped study indicates that prognosis is comparable between younger and middle-aged patients whereas in elderly patients it is worsening but not statistically significantly.
authors.affiliation: 4th Surgical Department, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demetriades
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kanellos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vasiliadis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Angelopoulos
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vergos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kanellos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Betsis
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome