Colon Cancer Surgery in the Aged; Postoperative Outcome, Functional Recovery and Survival.

Overview

Patients aged \> 80 years represent an increasing proportion of colon cancer diagnoses. It is important to have relevant and trustable data concerning elderly colorectal cancer patients surgery and postoperative morbidity, functional ability, life quality and survival numbers. With possibly compromised health status and functional decline the benefits of surgical management and outcomes can diminish life quality and overall survival. With proper patients selection, preoperative health evaluation and thus patient information, colorectal cancer surgery can be performed with lower morbidity and mortality rates with comparative survival numbers. The aim of this prospectively collected, observational study is to acquire data from colorectal cancer surgery in aged over 80 years and perform statistical analysis of the preoperative risk factors affecting postoperative morbidity, functional recovery, mortality and overall survival.

9 Finnish hospitals including three university hospitals participate in the study. The data is collected from the hospitals using a specially designed and secure web application (RedCap). The preoperative patients' data include comorbidities, clinical frailty scale (CFS) and functional status, postoperative surgical and medical outcomes and survival data. The patient questionnaire is based on the G-8 geriatric screening tool and MNA-short form. The questionnaire is filled out preoperatively and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The patient data concerning procedures is collected from the hospitals prospectively recording data. Mortality data on causes of death are obtained from Statistics Finland. All colon cancer patients aged over 80 years with curative disease (stage I-III) are included. Patients with metastatic disease or severe Alzheimer disease are excluded. They are treated either non-operatively or with curative resection or palliative procedure. Patients fill out the approval form. The study is acknowledged by the ethics committee of the participating hospitals.

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