The Safety of Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer in Patients Older Than 80 Years

Sang-Hong Choi, Seung-Hoon Lee, Song-Yi Yang, Seung-Hyun Lee, Byung-Kwon Ahn, Sung-Uhn Baek. Department of Surgery, Kosin University College of Medicine

Purpose: Laparoscopic surgery has accepted as a standard procedure for colorectal cancer, and become popular. Colorectal cancer usually presents in the elderly patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in the elderly patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 49 patients older than 80 years of age, who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from Jan. 2008 to Jun. 2012. The patients was divided into the open group (N=22) and the laparoscopic group (N=27). Patient who underwent emergency operations were excluded. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, operative risk factors, operation methods, intra-operative blood loss, postoperative day of gas out, postoperative hospital stay, complications.

Results: Between the open group and the laparoscopic group, there was no significant difference in age, sex ratio, comorbidities, American Society of Anestheology (ASA) score, revised cardiac risk index, tumor location, operation methods. Postoperative hospital stay (16 days vs. 8.8 days, p=0.000), gas out (4 days vs. 3 days, p=0.037), estimated blood loss (236 ml vs. 103 ml, p=0.003) were different significantly. Operation time (168 min vs. 140 min, p=0.139) and complications were not different significantly.

Conclusion: For patients older than 80 years, laparoscopic surgery had a shorter hospital stay, earlier gas out and less intra-operative blood loss than open surgery. Complications were not different significantly in the both groups. Therefore, the laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in elderly patients is a safe and acceptable procedure.