[The Usefulness of Robot-Assisted Colorectal Surgery in Elderly Patients Aged 85 and Older]

We report the short-term outcomes of 38 cases of colorectal cancer in patients aged 85 years or older treated at our institution from April 2023 to April 2025. The median age was 88 years, with 13 male and 25 female patients, all of whom had comorbidities. The primary location of the lesions was the right colon in 19 cases, the left colon in 6 cases, and the rectum in 13 cases. Open surgery was performed in 8 cases, laparoscopic surgery in 14 cases, and robotic surgery in 16 cases. There were no in-hospital deaths, and the median postoperative hospital stay was 11 days for open surgery and 7 days for laparoscopic and robotic surgery. The proportion of patients who were discharged to the same environment as before admission was 63% for open surgery, 79% for laparoscopic surgery, and 100% for robotic surgery. In cases of colorectal cancer surgery in patients aged 85 years or older, strict perioperative management and postoperative rehabilitation are essential to achieve early social reintegration. Minimally invasive surgery may contribute to shorter hospital stays, and particularly in the case of robotic surgery, it may offer a useful approach for facilitating discharge back to the pre-hospitalization environment.