Clinicopathological Features and Results of Surgical Treatment of Colorectal Cancer in the Eldery

One hundred thirty-seven patients underwent resection for colorectal cancer at our hospital during the recent 10 years. After dividing the patients into 3 groups according to their age, i.e., Group A (younger than 69 yrs), Group B (70-79 yrs), and Group C (older than 80 yrs), we compared the clinicopathological features and results of surgical treatment among the 3 groups. The distributions in tumor location, histological type and stage according to Dukes' classification did not differ among the groups. Preoperatively, patients of Groups B and C showed higher incidences of anemia and hypoproteinemia than those of Group A. R1 lymph node dissection was conducted in a large number of patients of Group C, reflecting the lower incidence of R2 dissection in patients of the group. Postoperative death within 3 months after operation showed a high incidence of 10.8% in patients of Group C, although the incidence was not significantly different from those in Groups A and B. The 3-year survival rate was significantly higher after curative resection than after non-curative resection in all 3 groups. However, the survival rates after curative and non-curative resection did not differ according to age group.