Laparoscopy-Assisted Distal Gastrectomy for the Eldest Elderly Patients with Gastric Cancer

Abstract The number of the eldest elderly (aged 85 years and older) patients with gastric cancer has been rising in Japan. Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) has been accepted as a less invasive treatment for gastric cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LADG for eldest elderly patents. From January 2006 to July 2010, 262 patients underwent LADG for gastric cancer. Of these, 9 patients were 85 years old and over (eldest elderly group) and the remaining 253 patients were younger than 85 years (control group). Clinicopathological characteristics and operative outcomes were analyzed. Among clinicopathological characteristics analyzed in this study (gender, body mass index, co-morbidity, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status and tumor status), only gender showed a significant difference between the eldest elderly and the control groups. There were no significant differences in operation time, blood loss, postoperative complication and postoperative hospital stay between the 2 groups. No serious complications or mortality were found in the eldest elderly group. It is suggested that LADG is a safe and efficient procedure for the treatment of gastric cancer, even in eldest elderly patients.