Clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer in patients over 70 years of age

Abstract

Objective. The aim was to identify the clinical factors and tumor characteristics that predict mortality and survival in patients older than 70 years with colorectal adenocarcinoma. Material and methods . One hundred and ninety-four patients with colorectal cancer aged over 70 years were identified from a computer database and their clinical variables were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate analyses. Results. All patients underwent resective surgery, 79% radical and 21% palliative resection, and postoperative mortality was 6% being associated with the presence of postoperative complications, especially anastomotic leakage. The cumulative 5-year survival was 38%, the median survival 35 months, and the cancer-specific 5-year survival 48% and this did not differ significantly between the age groups. The recurrence rate after radical surgery was 30%, being 12, 22, 56, and 100% in Dukes classes A, B, C, and D. Kaplan-Meier estimates indicated that gender, Dukes staging, grade of tumor, number of lymph node metastasis, venous invasion, and recurrent disease were significant predictors of survival, but in the Cox regression model, only venous invasion and recurrent disease were independent prognostic factors of survival. Conclusions. Low mortality and acceptable survival can be achieved in elderly patients with colorectal cancer. Venous invasion and recurrent cancer are independent predictors of survival.

Key Words::

• Colorectal cancer
• elderly patients
• mortality
• surgery
• survival

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.