Clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer in the elderly population.

Abstract

33 Background: Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers, having great incidence among the elderly. However, little is known about gastric cancer in elderly patients. This study was designed to evaluate the specific features of gastric cancer in elderly patients. Methods: We reviewed medical records of 1107 patients who had undergone radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer between June 2005 and December 2009 retrospectively. They were divided into young age group (<65, n = 676), middle age group (65 ≤ age < 75, n = 332) and old age group (≥75, n = 99). To find out potential risk factors, these following factors were reviewed; symptoms, comorbidities, tumor marker levels, stages, H. pylori status, locations, Lauren type, differentiation, complications, microsatellite instability and p53 overexpression. Results: Elevated levels of CA 19-9 (5.6%, 13.4% and 14.6%, P = 0.001), advanced diseases (42.5%, 47.0% and 57.6, P = 0.014), and node metastasis (37.6%, 38.9% and 51.5%, P = 0.029) were more frequently detected in the middle and old age groups. However, no significant differences in H. pylori status (63.6%, 56.7% and 61.2%, P = 0.324) were observed among the three groups. Elderly patients had a tendency to show intestinal type in Lauren’s classification (40.7%, 58.7%, and 56.6%, P < 0.001). The rate of surgery-related complications did not differ among the three groups (5.3%, 5.1%, and 8.1%, P = 0.497). Microsatellite instability (P < 0.001) and p53 overexpression (P < 0.001) were more frequently found among the elderly patients. Conclusions: Gastric cancer in elderly patients was related to features known for favorable prognosis except p53 overexpression, despite the more advanced stage. Surgery in the elderly was as tolerable as in young patients. We recommend looking favorably upon surgery for elderly patients with operable gastric cancers.