Pulmonary lobectomy in octogenarians with non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Greater life expectancy and the ageing population have been a worldwide trend. The purpose of our retrospective study was to review outcomes after anatomical resection in octogenarians operated on due to non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods: The study included 27 patients operated on from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2016.
Results: 17 men and 10 women with a mean age of 81.5 years (ranging from 80 to 84 years) were involved. The operations included 23 lobectomies (85.1%) and 4 bilobectomies (14.9%). 16 patients had adenocarcinoma (59.2%), 5 patients had squamous cell carcinoma (18.5%) and 4 patients bronchoalveolar carcinoma (14.8 %). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (59.2%) and chronic ischemic heart disease (25.9%). Median hospital stay was 10 days (ranging from 6 to 21 days). Morbidity rate reached 44.4% and 30-day mortality rate was 3.7% (1/27).
Conclusions: Pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer in octogenarians is feasible with acceptable morbidity and mortality. Thorough evaluation is
necessary to select the most appropriate approach in these patients considered for lung resection. Age alone should not be a contraindication to
surgical treatment of lung cancer.