Colonic cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies and most often occurs in patients aged 65 years or older. It remains a point of debate among physicians whether open or laparoscopic surgery should be indicated for elderly patients with colorectal cancer and a poor performance status. There are a few considerations that clinical oncologists need to take into account when deciding whether or not to go for surgical intervention in elderly colorectal cancer patients.
Even if surgical intervention is decided, medical conditions that impact physiologic reserve and tolerance of therapy should be taken consideration. The post-surgical morbidity and mortality can be can be reduced if the adverse outcome from the surgical procedure can be minimized. This study published in Journal of Gastroenterology sheds some light on the comparative outcome of the long persistent debate on…
