Charlson comorbidity index for evaluation of the outcomes of elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer

Purpose: We investigated the effectiveness of the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) for predicting postoperative 30-day complications and long-term survival outcomes of elderly patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer with radical intent. Methods: We reviewed 178 patients aged >= 70 years who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer with radical intent between January 2008 and December 2015. Patients were divided into high CCI (CCI >= 3; n=71) and low CCI (CCI < 3; n=107) groups for comparative analyses of differences in their short and long-term outcomes. Results: Postoperative 30-day complications were more frequent in the high CCI group than in the low CCI group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a high CCI was significantly predictive of postoperative 30-day complications. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 65% and 54% for the low and high CCI groups, respectively (p =0.034) and their 5-year disease free survival (DFS) rates were 60% and 47%, respectively (p =0.030). Conclusion: CCI predicted the likelihood of postoperative 30-day complications and long-term survival outcomes of elderly patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer with radical intent.