Should radical surgery for rectal cancer be offered to elderly population? A propensity-matching analysis on short- and long-term outcomes

Elderly patients with rectal tumor are often undertreated if compared to younger ones. The reasons for this attitude are not fully clear.The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of radical treatments for rectal cancer in subjects with an age ≥ 75 years (group 1) and to compare short- and long-term outcomes of these patients with patients with an age of less that 75 years (group 2). 311 consecutive patients who underwent radical surgery for rectal cancer were evaluated. A propensity-matching analysis on short- and long-term outcomes was conducted to compare older and younger patients. Overall postoperative complication rate was 23.8% (19/80) in the group 2 and 33.8% (27/80) in group 1 ( p = 0.162). OS at 1, 3 and 5 years was 96.2%, 88.4% and 75.9% in under 75 and 92.5%, 64.3% and 50.6% in over 75 group, respectively ( p = 0.001). However, TSS was considered, no significant difference was found. Major complications were comparable within groups: 10 (12.5%) versus 11 (13.8%) in groups 2 and 1, respectively ( p = 0.633). This study suggests that major rectal cancer surgery with curative intent should not be denied to an elderly population on the basis of age alone. Specific oncologic features and comorbidities are better long-term mortality predictors than aging.