Postoperative Long‐Term Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Gastric Cancer and Risk Factors for Death from Other Diseases

Abstract Background Elderly patients with gastric cancer are frequently treated surgically in current clinical practice. Although several studies have investigated short‐term outcomes after gastrectomy in elderly patients, most did not evaluate long‐term outcomes. Methods We analyzed 1154 consecutive patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2001 and 2013. We classified them into two groups: the elderly group ( n = 241), consisting of patients aged ≥75 years, and the non‐elderly group ( n = 913), consisting of patients aged <75 years, and compared the short‐ and long‐term outcomes between the two groups. The risk factors for death from other diseases in elderly patients were also examined. Results Although the incidence of postoperative pneumonia was significantly higher in the elderly group ( P < 0.001), the proportion of overall postoperative complications did not differ significantly between the two groups ( P = 0.097). The disease‐specific survival was similar between the two groups ( P = 0.743), whereas the overall survival in the elderly group was significantly shorter than that in the non‐elderly group ( P < 0.001) because of a higher incidence of death from other diseases throughout all gastric cancer stages. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative prognostic nutrition index (PNI) and multiple comorbidities were significant risk factors for death from other diseases within 5 years in the elderly group. Conclusions Despite acceptable short‐term outcomes, long‐term outcomes in elderly patients with gastric cancer were poor due to the high incidence of death from other diseases. Indications for surgery in elderly patients with a low PNI or multiple comorbidities should be considered carefully.