Does Major Pancreatic Surgery Have Utility in Nonagenarians with Pancreas Cancer?

Comparative outcomes of treatment modalities in nonagenarians with nonmetastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

There has been an increase in the elderly patient population seeking care for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study aimed to delineate the effectiveness of therapeutic options in nonagenarians (aged 90-99 years) diagnosed with resectable PDAC.

METHODS

This study used the National Cancer Database to identify patients with nonmetastatic PDAC (stage I-III) from 2004 to 2021. The study compared median overall survival (mOS) using Kaplan-Meier curves among 5 treatment categories: surgery, surgery along with chemoradiation, chemotherapy alone, radiotherapy alone, and chemoradiation alone. Cox proportional hazards regression was used in multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Of 459,174 patients, 793 aged ≥ 90 years had nonmetastatic PDAC. Of 793 patients, 245 (30.9 %) underwent chemotherapy alone, 296 (37.3 %) underwent radiotherapy alone, 162 (20.4 %) underwent chemoradiation alone, 58 (7.3 %) underwent curative-intent resection, and 32 (4.0 %) underwent surgery combined with chemoradiation. The mOS estimates in different treatment modalities were 9.5 months (95 % CI, 6.7-14.5) for surgery alone, 19.1 months (95 % CI, 2.4-64.3) for surgery combined with chemoradiation, 8.2 months (95 % CI, 7.2-9.2) for chemotherapy alone, 8.4 months (95 % CI, 7.6-9.6) for radiotherapy alone, and 11.2 months (95 % CI, 8.7-12.9) for chemoradiation alone (P < .001). In multivariate analysis, the odds of survival were better for patients who underwent surgery alone than for those who underwent chemotherapy alone, although the odds of survival did not significantly differ between patients who underwent radiotherapy alone and those who underwent chemoradiation alone. Nonetheless, surgery combined with chemoradiation was associated with decreased mortality risk compared with surgery alone (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95 % CI, 0.25-0.87; P = .02). Operative 30-day mortality rate was 8.8 %, and 90-day mortality rate was 17.8 %.

CONCLUSION

Surgery combined with chemoradiation improved the survival of nonagenarians with PDAC compared with other therapies. However, only 1 in 25 patients received all 3 treatment components. Moreover, our study highlights a very high operative mortality rate in nonagenarians.

Predictors of non-home discharge after pancreatoduodenectomy in patients aged 80 years and above

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer has the highest growth in incidence among patients aged ≥80 years. Discharge destination after hospitalization is increasingly recognized as a marker of return to baseline functional status. Our aim was to identify the preoperative and intraoperative predictors of non-home discharge in those aged 80 or older.

METHODS

The ACS-NSQIP pancreas-targeted database was queried to identify patients aged ≥80 years who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) from 2014 to 2020. Home discharge (HD) versus non-HD cohorts were compared using univariate logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of non-HD.

RESULTS

Non-HD was over twice as likely to occur in patients aged ≥80 years than in those aged 65-79 years (p < 0.01). Comorbidity factors significantly associated with non-HD in patients aged ≥80 years included COPD, hypertension, HF, lower preoperative albumin, but not obesity. Non-comorbidity factors included older age, female gender, ASA III-IV, preoperative dependent functional status, and transfer origin before PD.

CONCLUSION

Individuals ≥80 years have possibly delayed or lower rate of return to baseline functional status following PD compared to those aged 65-79 years. Predictors of non-HD can be identified to facilitate preoperative counseling and discharge planning, thus enhancing care workflow efficiency.

Surgical management for elderly patients with pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer, one of the diseases of the elderly, has dismal prognosis, demanding major surgery with high risk and life quality problems, especially in the elderly. Therefore, treatment selection, whether or not to undergo surgery, preoperative risk assessment, and perioperative management of the elderly are becoming critical issues. Although the elderly are expected to have higher morbidity and mortality and lower long-term survival outcomes, surgery is becoming safer over time. Appropriate surgical indication selection, patient-centered decision-making, adequate prehabilitation and postoperative geriatric care are expected to improve surgical outcomes in the elderly. Surgeons must have the concept of geriatric care, and efforts based on institutional systems and academic societies are required. If well selected and prepared, the same surgical principle as non-elderly patients can be applied to elderly patients. In this paper, the surgical treatment of elderly patients with pancreatic cancer is reviewed.

Chronologic Age, Independent of Frailty, is the Strongest Predictor of Failure-to-Rescue After Surgery for Gastrointestinal Malignancies

BACKGROUND

Prior studies of older cancer patients undergoing large operations have reported similar rates of complications to the general population but higher rates of mortality, suggesting higher rates of failure-to-rescue (FTR) with advanced age. Whether age is a marker for frailty, or an independent predictor of FTR, is not clear.

METHODS

The ACS-NSQIP database was queried from 2015-19 for patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal (GI) malignancy. Patients were divided into age-stratified cohorts: C1 (18-55), C2 (56-65), C3 (66-75), C4 (76-89). Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were computed to assess the relationship of the FTR rate and age, while controlling for potential confounders. A second analysis was specified with all covariates converted to Z-scores, which generated scaled adjusted odds ratios (saOR) to determine the strongest predictor of FTR.

RESULTS

Multivariable analysis suggests that age is an independent predictor of FTR: C2:C1 aOR = 1.87 (p < 0.001); C3:C1 aOR = 3.33 (p < 0.001); C4:C1 aOR = 5.71 (p < 0.001). The scaled analysis demonstrated that age is the strongest predictor of FTR (saOR = 1.92, p < 0.001); a one standard deviation increase in age was associated with a 92% increased odds of FTR. The saOR for frailty (1.18, p < 0.001) and for number of comorbidities (1.10, p = 0.005) also were statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronologic age was independently associated with increased FTR after surgery for GI malignancy and was the strongest predictor of FTR. These results suggest that chronologic age must be carefully considered when evaluating the fitness of a patient for GI cancer surgery.

Evaluating the Impact of Preoperative Geriatric-Specific Variables and Modified Frailty Index on Postoperative Outcomes After Elective Pancreatic Surgery

BACKGROUND

Pursuing pancreatic resection in elderly patients is often complex and limited by concern for functional status and postoperative risk. This study examines the associations between two different preoperative functional status metrics with postoperative outcomes in the geriatric population.

METHODS

Patients who participated in the ACS NSQIP Geriatric Surgery Research File pilot program (2014-2018) undergoing elective pancreatic operations were included. Two clinically meaningful functional status scores were calculated: the presence of one or more geriatric-specific variable (GSV) and a 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5). Multivariable logistic regression adjusting for ACS NSQIP-estimated risk was performed to evaluate associations between preoperative GSV, mFI-5 and 30-day outcome measures.

RESULTS

A total of 1266 patients were included: 808 (64%) age 65-74, 302 (24%) age 75-80, and 156 (12%) age ≥ 81; 843 (67%) patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. Operations were performed for pancreatic adenocarcinoma in 712 (56%) patients. Older patients had greater likelihood of postoperative morbidity (35% vs 31% vs 47%, by age group, p = 0.004) and discharge to a facility (12% vs 23% vs 48%, by age group, p < 0.001). Adjusting for ACS NSQIP predicted risk, patients with a preoperative GSV were more likely to require reoperation and discharge to a facility (OR 1.81 [95% CI 1.03-3.16] and 3.95 [95% CI 2.91-5.38], respectively). The mFI-5 was not associated with postoperative outcomes (all p ≥ 0.18).

CONCLUSION

The presence of a preoperative GSV is associated with reoperation and discharge to a skilled facility following elective pancreatic resection. Geriatric-specific variables should be considered in joint preoperative decision making to optimize care.