Prognostic significance of age in curatively resected gastric cancer

Song, Hong Suk; Do, Young Rok; Ryu, Seung Wan; Kim, In Ho; Sohn, Soo Sang

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the patients' age is an independent prognostic factor in curatively resected gastric adenocarcinoma.
METHODS
Clinicopathologic information was reviewed for consecutive patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer during 6-year period (Jan. 1996-Dec. 2001) at the Keimyung University School of Medicine at Daegu. Overall survival was examined by the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazards was used to identify whether age had independent prognostic significance for survival.
RESULTS
The patients were divided into two groups: 838 patients (72.4%) with age of less than 65 years old, and 320 patients (27.6%) with age more than 65 years old. In these two groups, there were statistically differences in WHO classification, Lauren classification, vascular invasion, T stage, total stage, operational morbidity and mortality, and overall survival rate. The 5-year overall survival rate of age less than 65 years old was 87.8%, and 83.0% of age more than 65 years old (p=0.019). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that age was an independent prognostic factor to predict overall survival in curatively resected gastric cancer (p=0.038). However, after excluding cases who died within 1 month after gastric resection, overall survival rate was significantly different between two groups (p=0.050), but Cox regression analysis showed that age was not an independent prognostic factor (p=0.054).
CONCLUSION
The age is not an independent prognostic factor in curatively resected gastric cancer patients, and survival differences are due to an increased operative mortality in elderly patients.