Our experience in surgery for colorectal cancer in elderly patients

Materials and methods In the period 1973-2003, in our institution, we surgically managed 931 patients for colorectal cancer; 48 patients, 28 males and 20 females, aged 80 years and over (mean age 83.7 years). The tumor was located in the left colon in 20 cases (41.6%), in the rectum in 11 (22.9%) and in the right colon in 17 patients (35.4%). 33 patients (68.7%) were treated with colonic resection and primary anastomosis, 8 (16.6%) with Hartmann resection, 5 (10.4%) with colostomy, 1 (2%) with abdominal perineal resection and 1 (2%) with anastomosis between ileum and transverse colon without resection. The stage was A in 7 patients, B in 22, C in12 and D in 7.