Risk factors for serious postoperative complications following gastrectomy in super-elderly patients ≥85-years-old with gastric cancer: A National Clinical Database study in Japan

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the technical safety and feasibility of gastrectomy for super-elderly patients ≥85-y-old with gastric cancer and to clarify the risk factors for serious postoperative complications in these patients. Methods: Between 2017 and 2020, 10,203 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy (DG) and 2580 patients who underwent total gastrectomy (TG) were reviewed from the Japanese National Clinical Database. All possible preoperative factors were used to explore the risk factors for serious postoperative complications in the super-elderly patients with gastric cancer. Results: For DG, the operative mortality rate was 1.6% (162 patients), and the rate of serious postoperative complications was 7.8% (796 patients). Similarly, the mortality rate was 2.6% (67 patients), and the rate of serious complications was 11.3% (292 patients) for TG. Based on multivariate analysis, body mass index (≥25 kg/m²), activities of daily living (ADL) (partially dependent), ASA-PS (Grade ≥3), dyspnea, ascites, history of cerebrovascular disease, serum albumin (<4 g/dL), and creatinine (>1.2 mg/dL) in DG, and ADL (partially dependent), ASA-PS (Grade ≥3), previous percutaneous coronary intervention, dialysis, WBC (>9000 μL), and AST (>35 IU/L) in TG were strong risk factors for serious postoperative complications. Conclusions: The study findings suggest that gastrectomy for super-elderly gastric cancer patients is relatively safe and feasible. Surgeons need to pay special attention to physical status and past medical history than tumor factors for preventing serious postoperative complications in super-elderly gastric cancer patients.