Colorectal cancer surgery in the elderly: oncologic results from our experience

Results A total of 100 patients with the diagnosis of colorectal cancer were identified. Of these, 71 patients were 65 years of age or older. Gender: 45 Male/26 Female. The median age was 75.3 years. Sixteen (11%) patients were octogenarians. Fifty-seven patients (78%) showed pre-existing co-morbidities age-related: diabetes mellitus, cardiopulmonary disease, and chronic renal disease. Most clinical cases presented with obstructive ileum symptoms and anemia. Combined neoadjuvant therapies based on radio-chemotherapy protocols (RT-CHT) were carried out successfully in 9 patients. Surgery was performed in emergency in 4 cases (6%). Most patients had left-sides tumors and underwent to low anterior resection (29 cases: 20.5%), 4 cases of left hemicolectomy, 3 patients showed an advanced rectal tumor that required Hartman colostomy, 12 cases of sigmoidectomy, 5 abdominal perineal resection, and 2 cases of subtotal colectomy. Sixteen patients (11.4%) had right-sided tumors and underwent to right hemicolectomy. In 29 cases was realized a stoma (10 colostomies and 19 loop ileostomies). Laparoscopic approach was proposed in 11 patients, carried out in 7 cases successfully. In 14 patients, a synchronous hepatic metastasis was diagnosed, 4 lung metastasis and 1 case of peritoneal carcinosis. In 3 patients combined resection of the primary tumor together with liver metastasis was performed with cyto-reduction intent.