Laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery for 65 age and elderly patients: A single center experience

Therapeutic modalities for elderly gastric cancer (GC) patients have enlarged with extended life expectancy. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of surgical therapies for GC patients of age 65 and older with a single center experience. Eighty-eight patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for GC were included in the study. The relationships between surgical methods and clinicopathological or prognostic features were analyzed. The median age of the patients was 72 (65-91) years. Sixty patients (75%) were male. The median BMI was 25 kg/m2 (17.5-42). The most common ASA score was 2 (n=58, 72.5%) and tumors were mostly localized in the distal 1/3 of the stomach (n=39, 48.7%). The median CEA and CA19-9 levels were 1.94 ng/ml(0.07-93.8)and 10IU/ml (0.05-449.3), respectively. Eleven patients (13.8%) hadprevious abdominal surgery history. The most common operation type was subtotal gastrectomy (n=33, 41.3%). The median operation time was 300 min (45-720) and the median intraoperative blood loss was 100 ml (0-800). There were eleven conversion (13.8%). The median first time to oral intake was 2 days (1-10) and length of hospital stay was 7 days (1-48). Postoperative serious complications occurred in fourteen (17.5%) patients. The mean of retrieved lymph node was 30.27 ± 17.08. The most common pathological T stage was T4 (53.75%). The mediantime to chemotherapy was 41 days (6-220). Laparoscopic gastric surgery is a safe and feasible method that can be performed in elderly patients with appropriate oncological principles. The risk of surgery is substantially higher in elderly patients. Therefore, maximal attention should be paid to perioperative care for the prevention and treatment of perioperative complications.