Does patient age remain a limiting factor for major hepatic or
pancreatic surgery?
BACHELLIER P
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JAECK D
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OUSSOULTZOGLOU E
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WOLF P
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ROSSO E
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ZACHARIAS T
Seance of wednesday 17 may 2006 (CHIRURGIE HEPATIQUE)
Abstract
The life expectancy of elderly patients over 70 years old is currentlyestimated around 12 years. Hepatobiliary and pancreatic resectionconstitute the only available curative treatment for liver or pancreaticcarcinomas. Between 1990 and 2003, in our experience, a totalof 131 elderly patients of more than 70 years were operated on forhepatic or pancreatic malignant tumours. These resections werecarried out with a mortality similar to that observed among patientsyounger than 70 years old. The median survival is 33 months afterresection of colo-rectal liver metastases and 20 months after pancreaticresection for malignant tumour. These results suggest that anage higher than 70 years no longer constitutes a contra-indication toa curative hepatic or pancreatic resection.
