Is age a risk factor for esophagectomy?

In recent years, the number of elderly patients with esophageal cancer as well as the number submitted for esophageal resection has been increasing. With respect to nutritional and pulmonary evaluations, surgical staging, and mortality, 37 patients over the age of 65 who underwent esophagectomy and simultaneous reconstruction were analyzed. This group was compared statistically with a group of 162 patients younger than 65 to determine whether age was a factor influencing treatment and outcome. There was no statistical difference between the groups relating to the described variables. Age should not be a limiting factor when it comes to offering an aggressive surgical approach for the esophageal cancer patient aged 65 or more. This approach can be performed as safely in older patients as it is in younger patients, with similar incidence of mortality.