Clinical and oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic versus open surgery in elderly patients with colorectal cancer: a retrospective multicenter study

Background Laparoscopic surgery is commonly used in elderly patients over 80 years old. The purpose of this study was to compare the perioperative and oncologic outcomes between laparoscopic surgery and open surgery in elderly patients with colorectal cancer. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients aged ≥ 80 years who underwent curative resection of colorectal cancer at six Hallym University-affiliated hospitals. The perioperative outcomes and oncologic outcomes were compared between laparoscopic and open surgery Results Of 294 elderly patients, 104 (35.3%) underwent open surgery and 190 (64.7%) underwent laparoscopic surgery. The postoperative hospital stay ( P = 0.019) and time to soft diet ( P = 0.009) were shorter in the laparoscopic group than in the open group. Postoperative complications were less frequent in the laparoscopic group than in the open group ( P