Feasibility and safety of extensive upper abdominal surgery in elderly patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
We performed a retrospective study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of extensive upper abdominal surgery (EUAS) in elderly (>/=65 yr) patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Records of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer who received surgery at our institution between January 2001 and June 2005 were reviewed. A total of 137 patients including 32 (20.9%) elderly patients were identified. Co-morbidities were present in 37.5% of the elderly patients. Optimal cytoreduction was feasible in 87.5% of the elderly while 95.2% of young patients were optimally debulked (P=0.237). Among 77 patients who received one or more EUAS procedures, 16 (20.8%) were elderly. Within the cohort, the complication profile was not significantly different between the young and the elderly, except for pleural effusion and pneumothorax (P=0.028). Elderly patients who received 2 or more EUAS procedures, when compared to those 1 or less EUAS procedure, had significantly longer operation times (P=0.009), greater blood loss (P=0.002) and more intraoperative transfusions (P=0.030). EUAS procedures are feasible in elderly patients with good general condition. However, cautious peri-operative care should be given to this group because of their vulnerability to pulmonary complications and multiple EUAS procedures.
Lim
Myong Cheol
MC
Branch of Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
Kang
Sokbom
S
Song
Yong Jung
YJ
Park
Sae Hyun
SH
Park
Sang-Yoon
SY
D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome