[OUTCOMES OF HEPATIC, PANCREATIC AND GASTRIC SURGERY IN THE ELDERLY POPULATION: MORBIDITY, MORTALITY AND RESPONSE TO ONCOLOGIC TREATMENT].

INTRODUCTION: There is a continuous rise in the proportion of elderly people in the general population. Previously, old age was a contraindication for numerous medical procedures.

AIM: To assess the postoperative outcome of elderly patients who underwent major surgery of the liver, pancreas and stomach.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients aged 75 and older who underwent elective operations for malignant tumors of the stomach, pancreas and liver between January 2005 and December 2009 in the Department of Surgery A, at Carmel Medical Center.

RESULTS: Of 258 operations, 80 (31%) were performed on patients older than 75 years; 46 (57.5%) were for males and 34 (42.5%) for females, with a mean age of 79 years. One patient was operated on twice. In 68 Patients (85%) the disease was primary and in 12 (15%) it was metastatic; 28 (35.4%) tumors were in the distal stomach, 13 (16.5%) in the proximal stomach; in the pancreas 13 tumors (16.5%) were in the head and 8 (10.1%) in the body/tail; 17 patients had liver metastases (21.5%1; 68 operations (85%) were performed in an open approach and 12 (15%) laparoscopically. Median hospital stay was 12 (±7.48) days and median ICU stay was 2 (±3.53) days. Median followup was 23 (±23) months. Complete records of 76 patients showed that 33 (43.4%) are alive with no evidence of disease; 12 (15.8%) were alive with stable disease; 25 (32.89%) died of cancer and 6 (7.8%) of other causes.

DISCUSSION: These favorable results allow us to offer elderly patients the entire spectrum of surgical and medical procedures without considering advanced age as an absolute contraindication.

CONCLUSIONS: Chronological age as a single parameter should not be a contraindication for radical medical treatment.