Objective: To evaluate the epidemiology and risk of surgery in the treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly.
Methods: Patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery were identified from the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) bowel cancer database, comprising 47,455 patients treated over a 5-year period. Demographic characteristics and outcomes were compared between patients aged <75 and those 75 or above. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Secondary endpoints were the length of hospital stay, abdominoperineal excision (APER) rates and lymph node harvest.
Results: Elderly patients were likely to be female and have higher American Society of Anaesthesiology (ASA) grade, while Dukes' stage was lower. They underwent surgery less often (81% versus 88%, p<0.001), but more frequently needed urgent or emergency procedures (p<0.001) and non-excisional surgery (7.7% versus 6.6%, p<0.001). Operative mortality was significantly higher for the older age group (10.6% versus 3.8%, p<0.001), and their median length-of-stay was 2 days longer (p<0.001). Mortality has improved over time for elderly patients with ASA grade III, and Dukes' stage A and D disease, but not for other subgroups.
Conclusion: Significant differences in the demographic characteristics and operative risk-factors between under-75s, and those aged 75 or above exist. These variations are reflected in the inferior outcomes experienced by elderly patients.