Abstract / Summary
Background Japan’s rapidly aging population has led to an increase in elderly patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer. However, the impact of postoperative complications on survival in patients aged ≥80 years remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between postoperative complications and survival outcomes in patients aged ≥80 years with gastric cancer. Materials and methods We retrospectively analyzed 61 patients aged ≥80 years who underwent gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection between 1999 and 2020. Postoperative complications were classified according to the Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification into a “no or minor complication group” (CD Grade ≤ II, including no postoperative complications) and a “major complication group” (CD Grade ≥ III), and the impact of postoperative complications on survival outcomes were assessed. A subgroup analysis excluding macroscopic type 4 was also performed. Results Postoperative complications occurred in 24 patients (39.3%), of which 8 (13.1%) experienced major complications. Patients in the major complication group had a significantly longer postoperative hospital stay, while other baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a trend toward poorer OS in the major complication group (P = 0.063), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was significantly worse in this group (P = 0.004). Multivariate analysis showed that postoperative complications of CD grade ≥ III were independently associated with poorer OS (HR 2.51; 95% CI 1.01–6.24; P = 0.049). Subgroup analysis in patients without type 4 also showed significantly worse OS in the major complication group (P = 0.036). Conclusion This study showed that postoperative complications were associated with poorer OS and RFS even in patients aged ≥80 years with gastric cancer. Future large-scale studies are needed to further clarify this association and optimize treatment strategies for this population.