Surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma from a viewpoint of age: Is it beneficial to octogenarians in an aging society?

Whether operative treatment provides benefits for elderly patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is unknown. The aim of this study was to review resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma according to age and to clarify its value for octogenarians. Between April 1977 and December 2015, we reviewed consecutive patients who underwent resection for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma with a special focus on patient age. During the study interval, 831 patients underwent resection for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. The median age of the resected patients increased by 11 years over approximately 40 years. Before 2001, no octogenarians underwent operative intervention; however, the proportion of operations for octogenarians increased to 9% after 2010. Further analyses were performed on 643 resected patients between 2001 and 2015. The resectability rate was not different between the octogenarians and the other age groups (71% vs 72.4%). The Charlson Comorbidity Index and preoperative laboratory data were similar between the 2 groups. A less advanced tumor was a predominant feature in the octogenarians compared to the other age groups. Consequently, the procedure used in the octogenarians were less extensive, but the proportion of R0 resection was greater in the octogenarians than in the other age groups (95.% vs 78.3%, P = .008). The ratio of patients who died of other diseases was also greater among octogenarians (29% vs 6.0%, P < .001). Overall survival was similar between the 2 groups (41% vs 38.9% at 5 years). Resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma can be performed with low mortality irrespective of age with careful patient selection and offers long-term survival even in octogenarians.