Introduction

Patients over 75 years of age, who, in addition, often have already exceeded the average life expectancy, in the Polish population on average 77.4 years, are the subject of discussion concerning the most appropriate choice of treatment.

Aim

To analyse the long-term results in elderly patients over 75 years of age with lung cancer who underwent curative pulmonary resection.

Material and methods

166 patients aged from 75 to 85 (mean: 77.4 ±2.3) operated on for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included in this study. There were 128 (77%) men and 38 (23%) women.

Results

Lobectomy, including bilobectomy, was performed in 122 (74%) patients, pneumonectomy in 8 (5%) patients, and wedge resections or segmentectomy in the remaining 36 patients. Squamous or adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 46% and 42% of cases respectively. Clinical stage I A was diagnosed in 36 (22%) patients, I B in 51 (31%), IIA in 30 (18%), IIB in 19 (11%) and IIIA in 30 (18%) of our cases. The early 30-day postoperative mortality was 5% whilst postoperative morbidity occurred in 47% of cases. The five-year survival rate was 30%. In statistical analysis, the TNM classification (p = 0.0490), the number of postoperative complications (p = 0.0001) and obstructive atelectasis requiring repeat bronchofibroscopic aspirations (p = 0.0137) in the early postoperative period most negatively influenced the long-term survival in the whole study group.

Conclusions

Surgical resections for lung cancer in patients over 75 years of age are characterised by a relatively good long-term prognosis. Careful and strictly detailed preoperative selection, particularly of patients with pulmonary comorbidities and the earliest possible diagnosis of a lung tumour, can reduce the occurrence of these postoperative complications in elderly patients, which negatively influence long-term results.