The safety and efficacy of surgical treatment for colorectal cancer in patients older than 80 years of age are seldom assessed. The aim of the present study was to compare short- and long-term outcomes after surgery between younger and elderly patients at a single nonteaching hospital. In all, 342 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection for invasive primary colorectal cancer between April 1999 and April 2007 were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age at the time of surgery, those younger than 79 years of age (n = 283) and those older than 80 years of age (n = 59). A greater proportion of elderly patients had concurrent disease before surgery, right-sided colon cancer, and postoperative complications. Cox proportional hazards model (multivariate analysis) identified three independent risk factors for a poor outcome after surgery (excluding death by other causes): 1) the presence of preoperative symptoms; 2) noncurative resection for colorectal cancer; and 3) the presence of lymph node metastases. Age older than 80 years was not a risk factor for a poor postoperative prognosis. At our nonteaching hospital, surgical resection appears to be a safe and beneficial treatment option for elderly patients (older than 80 years of age) who have colorectal cancer.
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