The Clinical Impact of the Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index on Esophageal Cancer Patients Who Receive Curative Treatment

Background/aim: We investigated the impact of the age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) on esophageal cancer survival and recurrence after curative treatment.

Patients and methods: This study included 122 patients who underwent curative surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal cancer between 2005 and 2017. The risk factors for the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were identified.

Results: An ACCI of 5 was regarded as the optimal critical point of classification considering the survival rates. The OS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were 64.2% and 54.4% in the low-ACCI group, respectively, and 42.3% and 29.2% in high-ACCI group, respectively (p=0.035). The RFS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were 50.2% and 43.6% in the low-ACCI group, respectively, and 28.5% and 21.3% in high-ACCI group, respectively (p=0.021). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that ACCI was a significant independent risk factor for both the OS and RFS.

Conclusion: ACCI is a risk factor for survival in patients who undergo curative treatment for esophageal cancer. An effective plan for the perioperative care and surgical strategy should be developed according to ACCI.