Features of surgical treatment of colon cancer in elderly and senile patients

Gadzhiev Gadzhi, Ionin V. P.

The high frequency of comorbidities and the age-related decline in the body's functional reserves force surgeons to refuse planned radical treatment of colon cancer in elderly and senile patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the features of surgical treatment of colon cancer in elderly and senile patients. A non-randomized prospective study was conducted, which included 63 patients with cancer of various parts of the colon aged 60 to 86 years. Among patients aged 60-69 years, 86% had pathology of the heart, vascular and respiratory systems. Concomitant diseases were present in 100% of patients older than 70 years. The average comorbidity index was 8.6±1.2, 46 patients (73.1%) were assigned to classes III and IV according to the ASA scale. The frequency of complications in the postoperative period was 12.7% (8 patients), with a predominance of grade I and II complications - 75.0% (6 patients) that did not require reoperation, one patient had a severe grade III complication and one patient – death due to pulmonary embolism, postoperative mortality was 1.6%. The study demonstrated the fundamental possibility of performing large-scale radical interventions for cancer of various parts of the colon in elderly and senile patients. This group of patients requires a multidisciplinary approach involving a therapist, cardiologist, anesthetist, intensive care unit physician to assess the risk of surgical treatment, preoperative drug preparation and correction of metabolic disorders, which in most cases leads to an improvement in the immediate results of treatment.

Keywords:colon cancer, surgical treatment, laparoscopic surgery, elderly and senile age.