Background: The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of elderly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients aged 75 years or more who underwent hepatectomy and to clarify whether elderly patients with HCC benefit from hepatectomy.
Methods: Between January 1990 and December 2006, 570 patients underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC. Elderly patients were defined as those aged 75 years or more. Clinicopathological data and outcomes after hepatectomy for 64 elderly and 502 younger patients were prospectively collected and compared.
Results: The proportion of elderly patients with chronic viral infection was less than that of younger patients (p < 0.001). Cirrhotic patients in the elderly group were less than those in the younger group (p = 0.03). The elderly patients had better liver function than did the younger patients (p = 0.007) but had more advanced HCC with microscopic vascular invasion than did the younger patients (p = 0.04). There was no operative mortality in the elderly patients and there was no significant difference in postoperative complication rates and long-term survival after hepatectomy between the two groups.
Conclusions: Hepatectomy for elderly patients with resectable HCC is safe and feasible. Selected elderly patients with HCC might benefit from hepatectomy.