Clinicopathologic Characteristics and the Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Patients at Both Extremes of Age

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: There have been several comparative studies that have focused on elderly groups of patients with gastric cancer. However, new criteria are needed for this elderly group because of the longer life span of Korean people. The diagnosis of gastric cancer has sometimes been missed in the young age group. The perioperative risk is high in the elderly age group because of their combined diseases. This study was designed to determine the differences of the clinicopathologic features and the prognosis between young and elderly patients with gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients were divided in two groups and these patients were selected for making comparison between young and elderly groups of patients with gastric cancer. The young age group consisted of 31 patients who were aged 35 years old or less. The elderly age group was made up of 49 patients who were aged 75 years old or above. RESULTS: For the clinicopathologic features, the young age group was characterized by a high incidence of the poorly differentiated type of adenocarcinoma and the diffuse type too, according to the Lauren classification. On the other hand, the elderly group was characterized by a high incidence of poorly to moderate differentiated adenocarcinoma and also the intestinal type according to the Lauren classification. The other clinical differences were unremarkable. Additionally, there was no survival advantage in the young age group compared to the elderly group. CONCLUSION: There were no clinicopathologic and prognostic differences between both extreme age groups. So, active surgical treatment is recommended even for the elderly patients group.