Impact of Age on Prognosis in Iranian Patients with Gastric Carcinoma: Review of 742 Cases

Background: Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies worldwide. Some studies have suggested that it has a worse prognosis in non-elderly than in elderly patients. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether the patient's age is an independent prognostic factor. Methods: A total of 742 patients with gastric carcinoma, who had registered in our cancer registry center between years 2001-2006 were reviewed to investigate the prognostic significance of age. They were divided into the following two groups: non-elderly (under 70 years) and elderly (70 years or older). The clinicopathological features were reviewed retrospectively and a multivariate analysis was carried out. Results: Lymph node metastasis and differentiated type were more frequently observed in non-elderly than in elderly patients (P<0.0001) and older patients diagnosed with more advanced stages compared with those younger than 70 years old (P=0.015). 5-year survival rates were 27.2 and 15.2% in non-elderly and elderly patients, respectively, the difference being statistically significant (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age and wall penetration were independent prognostic factors Conclusions: Age clinically serves as an important predictor of survival in patients with gastric carcinoma and elderly patients with gastric carcinoma have a worse prognosis than nonelderly patients.