Outcome of repeat hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma aged 75 years and older

Abstract

We sought to evaluate the influence of age on the outcome of repeat hepatectomies in patients > or = 75 years with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We studied 121 curative repeat hepatectomies retrospectively. Among the 121 patients, 100, 20, and 1 received second, third, and fourth hepatectomies, respectively. The short-term surgical results of a younger group (<75 years; n = 88) and those of an elderly group (> or = 75 years; n = 33) were compared. The long-term prognosis of the patients who underwent second hepatectomies was also compared between a younger group (<75 years; n = 77) and an elderly group (> or = 75 years; n = 23). The patients in the elderly group displayed more comorbid conditions pre-operatively, including hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, than the younger group (P < .05); however, there was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications or the duration of postoperative hospital stay. The long-term prognosis in the elderly group was almost identical to that in the younger group. The 3-year overall survival rates for the younger group and the elderly group were 83 vs 73% (P = .51). Disease-free, 3-year survival rates for the younger group and the elderly group were 35% vs 38% (P = .88). Our findings suggest that advanced age by itself does not have an adverse effect on operative outcomes, including postoperative complications and long-term prognosis. Repeat hepatectomy may, therefore, be justified for recurrent HCC in selected elderly patients.