title: Characteristics at presentation and outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the elderly. A study of the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the characteristics at presentation and the outcome of elderly patients (> or =70 years old) with HCC, a retrospective analysis using a CLIP database was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The database included 650 patients. Chi2-test, logistic and Cox model were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline characteristics and stage were similarly among elderly (n=158) and non-elderly (n=492) patients. More elderly patients did not receive any local treatment (56% versus 38%, p<0.0001). Age and CLIP score were independently predictive of the odds of locoregional treatment. Prognosis was worse for elderly patients with a hazard ratio of death of 1.49 (95% CI 1.20-1.86) at multivariable analysis. The survival difference disappeared when patients were compared within each treatment group, suggesting a close link between undertreatment and shorter survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elderly patients with HCC have a worse prognosis compared to non-elderly ones. Such difference seems the consequence of undertreatment.
authors.affiliation: Oncologia Medica B, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pignata
authors.forename: Ciro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Daniele
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elba
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giorgio
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Capuano
authors.forename: Luigi Elio
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Adinolfi
authors.forename: Ilario
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Sio
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Izzo
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farinati
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Del Naja
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanzione
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castiglione
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marone
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cuomo
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Felder
authors.forename: Giovanni Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: Ermelinda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Maio
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Maio
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Signoriello
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perrone
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome