Thoracic cancer surgery in the elderly

The risk of thoracic cancer surgery in patients of advanced age, i.e. 75 years or older, was analysed by reviewing 119 consecutive patients from August 1986 to May 1998 with bronchial carcinoma (n = 87), pulmonary metastases (n = 22), mesothelioma and pleural carcinosis (n = 7) and mediastinal or chest wall tumours (n = 3). Repeated surgery in one case of bronchial carcinoma and in another of metastases gave a total of 124 operations. Of the patients, 22 were 80 years or older (21%) and 32% were female. The median age was 77 years (range 75-87 years). Six fatalities occurred within 30 days or during hospitalization. This corresponds to a 4.8% mortality for the whole series and 6.8% for the subgroup of bronchial carcinoma. The causes of death were surgical complications in two patients, one died from heart failure after simultaneous combined coronary artery bypass grafting and left lower lobectomy 2 hours after the operation from heart failure refractory to resuscitation. With this exception all these patients had stage II (n = 2) or stage III A (n = 3) bronchial carcinoma. It is concluded that cancer surgery in the elderly is safe provided appropriate selection is observed. Indications should be very restrictive for advanced cancer and for pneumonectomy.