[Limits and outcome of curative resection of bronchial carcinoma in advanced age]

In a retrospective study, we analyzed the effect of the age of the patients on long-term results of curative resections for lung cancer. Between 1989 and 1995, 771 patients with resectable lung cancer were recorded in our department. Of these patients, 141 (18.4%) were 70 years or older (median: 73 years, range 70-85). The analysis of long-term survival, including non-cancer-related deaths, demonstrated a poorer prognosis for the older patients. This was, however, mainly due to an increased rate of deaths in patients with advanced tumor stages, while there were no significant differences between younger and older patients with stage I or II lung cancer.