title: Health related quality of life after oesophagectomy: elderly patients refer similar eating and swallowing difficulties than younger patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oesophagectomy for cancer could be safe and worthwhile in selected older patients, but less is known about the effect of oesophagectomy on perceived quality of life of such delicate class of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of oesophagectomy for cancer in elderly patients in term of health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive patients who underwent oesophagectomy for cancer at the Surgical Oncology Unit of the Veneto Institute of Oncology between November 2009 and March 2014. Quality of life was evaluated using EORTC C-30 and OES-18 questionnaires at admission, at discharge and 3 months after surgery. Adjusted multivariable linear mixed effect models were estimated to assess mean score differences (MDs) of selected aspects in older (≥70 years) and younger (<70 years) patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 109 participating patients, 23 (21.1 %) were at least 70 years old and 86 (78.9 %) were younger than 70 years. Global quality of life was clinically similar between older and younger patients over time (MD 4.4). Older patients reported clinically and statistically significantly worse swallowing saliva (MD 17.4, 95 % C.I. 3.6 to 31.2), choking when swallowing (MD 13.8, 95 % C.I. 5.8 to 21.8) and eating difficulties (MD 20.1 95 % C.I. 7.4 to 32.8) than younger patients only at admission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early health-related quality of life perception after surgery resulted comparable in older and younger patients. This result may also be due to some predisposition of the elderly to adapt to the new status.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. cescocava@libero.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavallin
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. eleonora.pinto@ioveneto.it.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. luca.saadeh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luca M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Saadeh
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. rita.alfieri@ioveneto.it.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alfieri
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. matteo.cagol@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cagol
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. carlo.castoro@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castoro
authors.affiliation: Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Centre for Oesophageal Disease, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV IRCCS, Via Gattamelata 64, 35128, Padua, Italy. marcoscarpa73@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarpa
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies