A Comparison of Perioperative Morbidity, Perioperative Mortality, and Disease-Specific Survival in Elderly Women (≥70 Years) Versus Younger Women (<70 Years) With Endometrioid Endometrial Cancer

Abstract

The study compares the perioperative morbidity and mortality rates of elderly (>or=70 years) and younger (<70 years) patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer. The study cohort consisted of 115 consecutive women undergoing explorative laparotomy because of endometrioid endometrial cancer. Clinical data included patients' age, comorbidities, chronic use of medications, body mass index (kg/m), previous surgical procedures, surgical International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, histological grade, relevant prognostic factors, a number of dissected lymph nodes, occurrence of perioperative complications, postoperative hospital stay (in days), and long-term disease-specific survival (in months). Patients were divided into 2 groups: those younger than 70 years (group 1: 84 women, 73%) and those 70 years or older (group 2: 31 women, 27%). Although, as expected, elderly women had more major comorbidities, the rate of perioperative complications was similar between the 2 groups. In a logistic regression model, only chronic lung disease, gastrointestinal disease, and past abdominal surgery correlated with a higher rate of perioperative complications. None of the cohort patients died during the perioperative period. The long-term disease-specific survival was significantly poorer for the older group. Chronological age by itself should not be a contraindication for the proper surgical treatment of elderly women with endometrioid endometrial cancer, because it is a poor predicting factor for perioperative morbidity and mortality.