Esophageal cancer resection in the elderly

Esophageal cancer is a disease whose prognosis is dismal and its surgery involves considerable risks, consequently the opportunity of esophageal resection in elderly patients with esophageal cancer is questionnable. The aim of this study was to analyze, with respect to their age, the outcome of 386 consecutive patients who underwent esophagectomy and simultaneous replacement for cancer.

A chart review of all patients with esophageal carcinoma admitted to our institution was undertaken for the period January 1979-December 1994.

The portion of patients of 70 years of age and older (14.5%) has slightly increased during the period. Location to the lower third of the esophagus and adenocarcinoma type were prevalent in the 56 elderly patients (group I), but their postsurgical TNM staging was identical to that of the 330 younger patients (group II). Other clinical features, i.e. preoperative weight loss and the presence of co-morbid diseases, however, were comparable in the two groups. Pulmonary function, as assessed by spirometry, was significantly worse among the older patients, but blood gas determinations were not different. Operative mortality was comparable, between the two groups (10.7% vs 11.2%). Major morbidity included anastomotic leak (10.7% vs 13.6%) and pulmonary complications (17.9% vs 20.6%) in both groups. Excellent palliation of dysphagia was achieved in 92% of the 50 group I patients who survived the operation. Long-term survival was not different in elderly patients (5-year rate: 17%) when compared with that of younger patients (18.9%).

These data suggest that esophagectomy can be performed safely in selected septuagenarian patients, thus allowing a substantial survival with excellent functional status in a portion of these patients.