title: Prognostic factors for gastrectomy in elderly patients with gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present study was to investigate the age-specific prognostic factors in patients who underwent gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 366 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgical resection at our hospital between January 2007 and December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Of the 366 patients, 117 were aged 75 years or older and 249 were aged 74 years or younger. All factors that were identified as significant using univariate analysis were included in the multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up duration was 52.9 months (range, 1.0-117.5 months). We found that in patients aged 75 years or older, postoperative complications and the extent of cancer were independent prognostic factors of overall survival and disease-free survival. In contrast, in patients aged 74 years or younger, only the lymph node status and postoperative chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for overall survival and disease-free survival, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pathological outcomes and postoperative complications are important prognostic factors for survival in patients aged 75 years or older with gastric cancer, whereas pathological outcomes and postoperative chemotherapy are important prognostic factors for survival in patients aged 74 years or younger. Because the prevention of postoperative complications may contribute to improvements in the prognosis of elderly patients with gastric cancer, we suggest that it is necessary to consider limited surgery instead of radical surgery, depending on the patient's general condition and co-morbidities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan. daisuke0111@hotmail.co.jp.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higashida
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiotani
authors.affiliation: Department of Digestive Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0192, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Elderly patient; Gastric cancer; Postoperative complications; Prognostic factor