W. M. Whited1, E. Schumer1, J. Trivedi1, M. Bousamra1, V. Van Berkel1 1University Of Louisville,Department Of Cardiovascular And Thoracic Surgery,Louisville, KY, USA
Introduction:
This study aims to examine survival differences in elderly patients with early stage (I and II), non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) undergoing pulmonary resection.
Methods:
The national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for lung cancer patients between 1998 and 2010. Age at diagnosis for all patients and those undergoing surgical resection were compared by year between patients <80 and >80 years. Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, survival was compared between age subgroups (<70, 70-79, and >80 years) stratified by cancer stage for patients with early stage, NSCLC who underwent surgical resection.
Results:
41,680 patients age 18 years or greater were identified with early stage, NSCLC. Of these, 29, 580 patients underwent pulmonary resection. The proportion of patients older than 80 out of all patients who underwent resection for early stage, NSCLC demonstrates an upward trend since 1998 from 180 patients (9.1%) to 278 patients (11.4%). Survival comparison stratified by stage for patients <70, 70-79, and >80 years is shown in Figure 1. Five year survival for patients with stage I, NSCLC, ages <70, 70-79, and >80 years, respectively, is 62%, 45%, and 28% (p<0.001). Five year survival for patients with stage II, NSCLC, ages <70, 70-79, and >80 years, respectively, is 43%, 23%, and 17% (p<0.001). There were similar trends in survival when stratified by sex and histology.
Conclusion:
The number of elderly patients diagnosed with NSCLC is increasing, particularly those >80 years; therefore, there is an increasing number of older patients undergoing surgical resection. While surgical resection in octogenarians for stage I, NSCLC is feasible, elderly patients have poor overall survival and should be fully informed of alternatives to surgical intervention.
