Surgery for elderly patients with resectable pancreatic cancer, a comparison with non-surgical treatments: a retrospective study outcomes of resectable pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: We designed a retrospective study to compare prognostic outcomes based on whether or not surgical resection was performed in elderly patients aged(≥75 years) with resectable pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 49 patients with resectable pancreatic cancer (surgery group, resection was performed for 38 cases; no surgery group, resection was not performed for 11 cases) diagnosed from January 2003 to December 2014 at the National Cancer Center, Korea. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in demographics between the two groups. The surgery group showed significantly better overall survival after diagnosis than the no surgery group (2-year survival rate, 40.7% vs. 0%; log-rank test, p = 0.015). Multivariate analysis revealed that not having undergone surgical resection [hazard ratio (HR) 2.412, P = 0.022] and a high Charlson comorbidity index (HR 5.252, P = 0.014) were independent prognostic factors for poor overall survival in elderly patients with early stage pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, surgical resection resulted in better prognosis than non-surgical resection for elderly patients with resectable pancreatic cancer. Except for patients with a high Charlson comorbidity index, an aggressive surgical approach seems to be beneficial for elderly patients with resectable pancreatic cancer.