Hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in super-elderly patients aged 80 years and older in the first decade of the 21st century.

PURPOSE

We evaluated the preoperative and postoperative characteristics and prognosis of super-elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

Four hundred and thirty-one patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC were classified into three groups according to their age at the time of surgery: super-elderly (≥80 years; n = 20), elderly (70-80 years; n = 172) and younger (<70 years; n = 239). We compared the clinical characteristics, preoperative and postoperative factors and prognosis among the groups to evaluate whether liver resection is appropriate for super-elderly patients.

RESULTS

The liver function was not significantly different among the groups. The proportion of patients with preoperative cardiovascular and respiratory disease and hypertension was higher in the super-elderly group compared to the other groups. The super-elderly group had shorter operations and reduced hemorrhage rates compared to the other groups. Postoperative cardiovascular complications and delirium were more frequently observed in the super-elderly group. The overall and tumor-free survival rates were not significantly different among the groups. Super-elderly patients had a lower rate of liver or HCC-related death and a higher rate of death due to other causes than the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Super-elderly HCC patients who are appropriately evaluated and selected might have a favorable prognosis after undergoing hepatic resection.