Although surgical resection is the main treatment for rectal cancer, the optimal surgical protocol for elderly patients with rectal cancer remains controversial. Robot-assisted surgery has the following advantages: smaller wounds, less blood loss, quicker recovery, early recovery, and high rate of anal preservation. This study evaluated the feasibility of robot-assisted surgery in elderly patients with rectal cancer.
This retrospective study enrolled 125 patients aged 28–93 years diagnosed with stage I–III rectal cancer who underwent robot-assisted surgery between May 2013 and April 2018 in a single institution.
In total, 125 patients with rectal cancer, including 100 nonelderly (aged <70 years) and 25 elderly (aged ≥70 years) patients, who underwent robot-assisted surgery were recruited. Between the patient groups, the incidence of overall postoperative complications and postoperative length of hospital stay did not differ significantly (p = 0.930 and 0.095, respectively). No surgical related deaths were noted. The disease-free and overall survival did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (p = 0.610 and 0.298, respectively).
Robot-assisted surgery for rectal cancer is an appropriate approach that is well tolerated in elderly patients, with similar results as for the non-elderly patients. Oncological outcomes, including postoperative complications and survival, did not depend on patient age. Thus, in elderly patients, robot-assisted surgery is a safe and feasible surgical modality for treating operable rectal cancer and leads to age-independent postoperative outcomes.
Wei-Chih Su.
Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital.
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.