Most Seniors 85+ Do Well After Colon Cancer Surgery: Study

A study presented at a meeting of the American College of Surgeons found persons 85 and older who undergo colon cancer surgery have high survival rates, reports U.S. News & World Report . The researchers analyzed short-term survival data on nearly 3,800 people 85 and older, with stage 2 and 3 colon cancer. Each person underwent surgery to excise part of the colon, and 89 percent were alive 30 days after surgery, while 83 percent were alive 90 days afterwards. Mortality risk was greater for those who had surgery during an unplanned hospitalization, as well as for those who had an open operation, compared to recipients of minimally invasive surgery. Risk also was elevated for seniors who had complications before surgery, like perforation, bleeding, and sepsis. Almost 50 percent were diagnosed and operated on during an unplanned hospitalization. "It seems a large number . . . are coming into the hospital with a problem that is severe enough to require admission . . . and then getting diagnosed with cancer and undergoing an operation during that same hospitalization," said the University of Rochester Medical Center's Roma Kaur. "We found that 80 percent had an open operation, as opposed to a minimally invasive one, so these seniors are being subjected to open operations because, in part, it's taking place in an acute setting."