Risk factors for postoperative complications in the elderly with lung cancer

While surgery for elderly patients has become more common with the aging of populations, the relatively high frequency of postoperative complications prevents broad application. We retrospectively evaluated prognoses after surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer in patients older and younger than 75 years, to investigate whether age contributes to the risk of a poor outcome.

From January 1998 to September 2009, 727 patients underwent curative resection for non-small-cell lung cancer in our department; 119 were over 75-years old (group 1) and 608 (group 2) were aged less than 75 years.

The rates of postoperative complications (49% in group 1 and 40% in group 2) were not significantly different. Age conferred no significant risk, with an odds ratio of 1.129, whereas smoking, blood loss during surgery, and lymph node dissection exhibited significant associations. Those aged over 75 years had a 1.9-fold higher risk of mortality (p < 0.01), but significance did not extend to disease-specific survival (p = 0.117).

Postoperative complications in elderly non-small-cell lung cancer patients are dependent on factors such as smoking, blood loss during surgery, and lymph node dissection, but not age. Elderly patients should not be considered ineligible for surgical treatment due to their age alone.