Colon cancer survival in the elderly without curative surgery

Abstract

Introduction The aim of this study was to chart the natural history of elderly patients with colon cancer who are managed nonoperatively, with the primary outcome being life expectancy from diagnosis to death. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of patients aged 80 years and above diagnosed with colon cancer in a tertiary care referral hospital in England between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2017. Results Thirty-two patients were diagnosed with non-metastatic colon cancer and managed non-operatively. The median age of patients in this study was 86 years. The group had a median Charlson Comorbidity Index of 7 (range 6–12) and the median frailty score was 6 (range 3–8). Progression to metastatic disease was identified in two patients; two further patients showed locoregional progression of cancer and therefore required palliative surgical intervention. Survival of these patients ranged from 105 to 1,782 days with a median life expectancy of 586 days. Place of death was identified in 15/31 patients: 4 (27%) died in hospital, 12 (38%) died at home and 15 (47%) died in a nursing or residential home; data were missing for 1 patient (3%). Conclusions Nonoperative management of elderly patients with colon cancer yields reasonable life expectancy and a low risk of life-threatening local complications.