Impact of age on 30-day mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing surgery for endometrial cancer

Abstract Objectives To investigate the impact of age on postoperative mortality and morbidity for women undergoing surgery for endometrial cancer. Methods Patients with endometrial cancer who had a hysterectomy were identified in the 2005–2011 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared between age groups. Multivariable logistic regression models were used. Results 4000 patients met inclusion criteria. Octogenarians (n = 328) were less likely to undergo laparoscopic surgery (p < 0.001) but there was no difference in surgical complexity among age groups (p = 0.54). In multivariate analysis, ages 60–69 (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.3–2.8, p = 0.82), 70–79 (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.4–4.3, p = 0.60) and ≥ 80 years (OR 2.4, 95% CI 0.7–8.1, p = 0.17) were not associated with increased mortality compared to age < 60 years. Significant predictors of mortality were respiratory or renal disease, dependent functional status, and hypoalbuminemia. Octogenarians were more likely to have non-surgical complications (8% vs. 3–5%, p = 0.001) but there was no difference in surgical complications (p = 0.89). In multivariate analysis, ages 60–69 (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0–1.6, p = 0.09), 70–79 (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.8, p = 0.05) and ≥ 80 years (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9–2.5, p = 0.14) were not associated with increased complications compared to age < 60 years. Significant predictors of complications were higher ASA class, anemia, and thrombocytosis. Conclusions Older patients should not be denied surgery for endometrial cancer based on age alone as they do not have higher rates of 30-day morbidity or mortality after adjusting for other factors. An increased effort should be made to perform minimally invasive surgery in octogenarians.