Surgical treatment of lung cancer in the octogenarians: results of a nationwide audit

Abstract

Objective: The elderly is a fast-growing segment of the population and the number of oncogeriatric patients with lung cancer is expected to increase. The purpose of this study was to overview surgical habits for lung cancer in octogenarians.

Methods: We used EPITHOR(®), the French national thoracic database, created in 2002 and including more than 135000 procedures from 93 institutions. We collected prospectively data concerning 622 patients 80 years or older, and 16461 patients younger than 80 years with lung cancer from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008. We compared patients' characteristics, lung-cancer presentation, and surgical treatment between these two groups.

Results: Patients' characteristics analysis: the distribution by gender, body mass index, and forced expiratory volume was comparable for the two groups. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (ASA 1 and 2: 59%, n=363 vs 71%, n=11543, p<0.0001) and performance status (PS) were worse for older patients (PS 0 and 1: 86%, n=470 vs 89%, n=12685, p<0.0001). Mean age (82.0, confidence interval (CI) 95% (81.9; 82.2)) and sex ratio (2.51, n=445 males) were stable for octogenarians across 5 years. Lung-cancer presentation analysis: in the elderly, stages I and II were of 71% (n=361) versus 66% (n=8735) in the younger group (p=0.001). Surgical treatment analysis: resections in octogenarians were pneumonectomy 10% (n=62) versus 15% (n=2409) for patients under 80 years, lobectomy 67% (n=415) versus 65% (n=10734), bilobectomy 4% (n=25) versus 5% (n=809), sub-lobar resection 11% (n=70) versus 8% (n=1355) (p=0.034). They underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery in 7% (n=43) versus 6% (n=917) (p=0.034). No lymph node dissection was more frequent in patients 80 years or older (8%, n=45) than in younger patients (5%, n=738) (p=0.0004).

Conclusion: Taken as a whole, octogenarians underwent more sub-lobar resections and less mediastinal lymph node dissections than younger patients. Effective management of lung cancer in older patients should be tailed to individual needs. Surgical treatment should not be denied on chronological age alone anymore.