Comparison of Elderly Patients With Younger Age Patients Who Were Diagnosed With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Terms of Operability

Aim Elderly patients who were operated for non-small cell lung cancer were compared with younger age patients in terms of their demographic characteristics, resection type, survival, early and late postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and effect of older age on operability. Materials and Methods A total of 288 patients who underwent resection for non-small cell lung cancer in Kocaeli University Medical Faculty Thoracic Surgery Department were examined. Among the patients with adequate data, 244 patients aged <70 years (Group I, control group) and 44 patients aged >70 years (advanced age) (Group II, study group) were retrospectively analyzed. Results There were no statistically significant differences between two groups in terms of distribution of medical history of patients (p= 0.083), and resection types (p= 0.557). A statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of survival (p= 0.013). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative early complications (p= 0.514), but there was a statistically significant difference in terms of postoperative late complications (p= 0.034). No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of postoperative discharge time (p = 0.916). Conclusion This study showed that the demographic characteristics were significantly similar between the elderly and younger patients who were treated for non-small cell lung cancer, although there were partly statistically significant differences in terms of postoperative morbidity and surgical treatment results. It was also observed that advanced age alone does not constitute a contraindication for surgical treatment