[Short-Term Outcomes of Robotic Colorectal Surgery for Elderly Patients-A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis]

Robotic surgical treatment for colorectal cancer is increasing substantially;however, its safety in elderly patients has not been demonstrated and remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes of robotic surgical treatment for colorectal cancer in elderly and younger patients.

Short-term outcomes of 147 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent robotic surgical treatment between September 2021 and December 2024 were analyzed. We divided the patients into a young group(≤79 years old, n=97)and an elderly group(≥80 years old, n=50)and compared the clinicopathological factors and prognosis between the 2 groups. We performed propensity score-matched (PSM)analysis to adjust for background factors in the 2 groups.

After PSM, 43 patients were included in each group. The median ages of the young and elderly groups were 69 and 84 years, respectively. The elderly group was more likely to have comorbidities(p=0.02), including cardiovascular disease(p=0.02), dementia(p=0.01), and anemia(p< 0.001). No significant difference was found in the median operative time(289 min vs 283 min, p=0.52), nor in the incidence of Clavien-Dindo classification Grade≥3 complications(2 cases vs 5 cases, p=0.43)between the 2 groups. There was also no significant difference in the median length of hospital stay(11 vs 12 days, p=0.29).

Robotic surgical treatment for colorectal cancer in elderly patients appears to be safe and feasible, with short-term outcomes similar to those in younger patients.