Laparoscopic Resection Of Colorectal Cancer: A Comparison Between Elderly And Younger Patients

Aims: To assess the effects of age on the outcome of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for cancer in a single institution by means of a comparison between younger and older patients.Methods: Data was collected from case sheets of 165 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer as from January 2007 till September 2009. The enrolled patients were subdivided into group A (≥65 years) and group B (<65 years). Retrospective comparative analysis of the pre-operative variables, operative data and post-operative complications was carried out.Results: A significantly higher percentage of elderly patients (30.5%) had undergone open surgical procedures before laparoscopic colorectal surgery, p=0.012. Operative data was comparable between the two groups. All post-operative complications were comparable between both groups, except for the time to flatus where the difference was statistically significant (p= 0.006) with Group A having a mean of 5.61 days as compared to Group B with a mean of 4.8 days. Conclusion: Our study suggests that laparoscopy should be considered as the first option in elderly patients undergoing colorectal resection as its rate of post-operative complications appear to be comparable irrespective of age.