Assessing Prognosis, Morbidity of Hepatectomy in Elderly Patients With HCC

Age has no significant bearing on the prognosis of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatectomy, according to a study published in BMC Surgery.

Researchers analyzed retrospective clinical and follow-up data on 1331 patients with HCC who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2020. The patient population was divided into elderly (≥65 years) and nonelderly (<65 years) groups. The investigators then compared postoperative major morbidity and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the 2 groups.

The results of propensity score matching showed a higher rate of major morbidity in elderly patients with HCC, but CSS was similar in both groups (P=.087). The researchers observed that older age was not an independent risk factor associated with high rates of major morbidity (P=.117) or poor CSS (P=.873).

“Age itself had no significant effect on the prognosis of elderly patients with HCC after hepatectomy. Hepatectomy can be safely performed in elderly patients after cautious perioperative management,” the researchers concluded.