RESUMO
PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the short- and longterm outcomes of elderly and middle-aged patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy. METHODS: From January 2010 to February 2017, a total of 75 patients with gastric cancer aged ≥70 years (elderly group) underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy, and their short- and long-term outcomes were compared with those of 197 patients with gastric cancer aged 60-69 years (middleaged group) who underwent also laparoscopic gastrectomy during the same period. RESULTS: With respect to the patients' preoperative baseline characteristics, the elderly group had a higher Charlson comorbidity index score, rate of previous abdominal operations, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification score compared to middle-aged patient group. There were no significant differences in the other baseline characteristics. There were no significant between-groups differences in the duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss, incidence and severity of 30-day postoperative complications, and pathological results. Long-term follow-up results showed that the tumor recurrence rates were similar between groups, as were the overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates. Multivariate analysis showed that age was not an independent predictor of OS and DFS. CONCLUSION: In summary, laparoscopic gastrectomy in elderly patients with gastric cancer can achieve similar short- and long-term outcomes as those for middle-aged patients. Age is thus not a contraindication for laparoscopic gastrectomy.