Does age matter in the indication for laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy?

Background: Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) is being increasingly performed in Japan. However, the indication of LAG in elderly patients who usually have preoperative morbidities and reduced functional capacities still remains unclear.
Materials and Methods: Two hundred eighty-nine patients who underwent LAG at the Cancer Institute Hospital were included in this study. Among them, 240 cases were younger than 75 years old (Y-LAG group), and 49 cases were 75 years old or older (E-LAG group). Early surgical outcomes between the two groups were compared to clarify the feasibility of performing LAG in elderly patients.
Results: The E-LAG group had a higher incidence of preoperative morbidities; however, the frequency of intraoperative and postoperative complications in this group was not significantly different from the Y-LAG group (9% vs 11%). The operation time was significantly shorter, and the number of retrieved lymph nodes was significantly smaller in the E-LAG group compared to the Y-LAG group. However, other early surgical outcomes were not significantly different between two groups.
Conclusions: LAG proved to be a feasible and safe procedure in elderly patients provided that the patients were selected carefully.