[Surgical treatment of lung cancer in patients over 75 years old]

To analyze surgical treatment of lung cancer in patients over 75 years old.

The study enrolled 73 patients. Lobectomy was performed in 50 (68.5%) patients, segmentectomy - 14 (19.2%), pneumonectomy - 4 (5.5%), bilobectomy - 3 (4.1%), wedge resection - 2 (2.7%) patients. The most common clinical scenario was lobectomy for lung adenocarcinoma stage I. Metastases in lymph nodes were noted in 32.9% of cases. Among 9 patients with pN2 (12.9%), lesion of mediastinal lymph nodes was preoperatively diagnosed in 4 (44%) cases. Mean tumor size was 3 (1-14) cm.

Overall morbidity was 16.4%, mortality 5.5%. Multivariate analysis revealed the most significant risk factors such as stage IIIb (OR 9.3, 95% CI 1.365-63.816, p=0.023), pN1 (OR 3.889, 95% CI 1.008-14.999, p=0.049), pN2 (OR 5.300, 95% CI 1.170-23.999, p=0.030), central cancer (OR 7.572, 95% CI 1.742-32.884, p=0.007).

Surgical treatment of lung cancer patients over 75 years old may be completed safely and effectively in careful preoperative selection of patients. The most important risk factors of postoperative complications are cancer stage IIIb stage, lymph node lesion and central cancer.