Should we resect colorectal cancer in patients over the age of 85?

Table 2 Surgical and pathological data of patients from 75-85 years old and those ≥ 85 years old

Feature	Number of 75-85 years old patients (% of 75-85 years old patients)	Number of ≥ 85 years old patients (% of ≥ 85 years old patients)	Total	P value
Patients	136	48	184
Surgical urgency
Emergency	24 (18)	9 (19)	33	0.35
Urgent	101 (74)	38 (79)	139
Elective	11 (8)	1 (2)	12
Location of cancer
Caecum to transverse colon	83 (61)	35 (73)	118	0.24
Splenic flexure to sigmoid	43 (32)	9 (19)	52
Rectum/anus	12 (9)	4 (8)	16
Type of operation
Left hemicolectomy	8 (6)	1 (2)	9	0.49
Right hemicolectomy	66 (49)	30 (63)	96
Extended right hemicolectomy	14 (10)	4 (8)	18
Total colectomy	1 (1)	0 (0)	1
Subtotal colectomy	3 (2)	1 (2)	4
High anterior resection	24 (18)	3 (6)	30
Low anterior resection	5 (4)	3 (6)	8
Ultralow anterior resection	2 (1)	0 (0)	2
Hartmann’s procedure	6 (4)	4 (8)	10
Abdominoperineal resection	1 (1)	0 (0)	1
Appendicectomy	2 (1)	0 (0)	2
Other	4 (3)	2 (4)	5
Approach
Laparoscopic	60 (44)	25 (52)	85	0.50
Laparoscopic assisted	31 (23)	12 (25)	43
Laparoscopic converted to open	14 (10)	2 (4)	16
Open (including local excision)	31 (23)	9 (19)	40
Histological diagnosis
Adenocarcinoma	117 (86)	38 (79)	155	0.46
Mucinous adenocarcinoma	17 (13)	10 (21)	27
Other	2 (1)	0 (0)	2
Histological grade
Low grade	97 (72)	34 (72)	131	1.0
High grade	37 (28)	13 (28)	50
No grade	2 (0)	1 (2)	3
Curability
Curative	125 (91)	41 (85)	166	0.19
Palliative due to metastases	11 (8)	7 (15)	18
Disease stage (at time of operation)
Stage I	19 (14)	11 (23)	30	0.57
Stage IIa	39 (29)	11 (23)	50
Stage IIb	14 (10)	7 (15)	21
Stage IIIa	4 (3)	2 (4)	6
Stage IIIb	29 (22)	6 (13)	35
Stage IIIc	10 (8)	5 (10)	15
Stage IV	19 (14)	6 (13)	25