Surgical treatment and prognosis of octogenarians with non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Objective To explore the clinical characteristics, surgical treatment and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) among elderly patients over 80 years. Methods The clinical data, surgical methods, perioperative management, postoperative complications and prognosis of 52 NSCLC patients aged over 80 years were retrospectively analyzed. Results Out of 52 cases, 27 had a long-term smoking history (51.9%) and 44 were with other diseases (84.6%). Lobectomy was done in 32 cases (65.4%), sub-lobectomy in 20 cases (38.5%), including pulmonary wedge resection in 16 cases (30.8%) and lung segment resection in 4 cases (7.7%). The postoperative complication rate was 44.2% (23/52); the complication rate after lobectomy was 62.5% (20/32) and that after sub-lobectomy was 25% (5/20), with significant difference between lobectomy and sub-lobectomy ( P P >0.05). Conclusions Octogenarians with NSCLC are often afflicted with comorbidity, so perioperative management is more complex. Strictly adhering to indications, surgery is still an important treatment of NSCLC patients over 80.