title: The effect of age on the long-term prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after resection surgery: a propensity score matching analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effect of age on the clinicopathologic manifestations of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and on the survival rate in patients with HCC after resection surgery remains controversial. We aim to compare the clinicopathological features and prognoses between younger and older patients with HCC undergoing resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  A tertiary medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 1074 consecutive patients with HCC who were undergoing a partial hepatectomy. Patients who were 55 years of age or younger were defined as the younger group (n = 374), and patients who were older than 55 years of age were defined as the older group (n = 700).
  
  
  METHODS
  The postoperative prognoses of the younger and older groups using multivariate analysis and propensity score matching analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The younger patients had better liver functional reserve but more aggressive tumor factors than did the older patients. After a median follow-up of 41.0 months, 543 patients died. The cumulative 10-year survival rates were 41.3% in younger patients and 28.8% in the older patients (P = .02). However, using both multivariate analysis and propensity score matching analysis, we failed to demonstrate that age was an independent risk factor associated with overall survival. Besides, there were 643 patients with tumor recurrence after surgery. Using both multivariate analysis and propensity score matching analysis, we found that the incidence of tumor recurrence in younger patients was comparable to that in the older patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age is not a risk factor to determine the prognosis of patients with HCC who underwent resection. Older patients with HCC who have good liver functional reserve are encouraged to receive resection surgery.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Chien-Wei
authors: CW
authors: Su
authors: Hao-Jan
authors: HJ
authors: Lei
authors: Gar-Yang
authors: GY
authors: Chau
authors: Hung-Hsu
authors: HH
authors: Hung
authors: Jaw-Ching
authors: JC
authors: Wu
authors: Cheng-Yuan
authors: CY
authors: Hsia
authors: Wing-Yiu
authors: WY
authors: Lui
authors: Yu-Hui
authors: YH
authors: Su
authors: Chew-Wun
authors: CW
authors: Wu
authors: Shou-Dong
authors: SD
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D057216:Propensity Score; D012307:Risk Factors