Abstract
In the present study, the usefulness of endoscopic treatment for senile gastric cancer patients who were more than 80 years old was estimated from the view points of QOL and prognosis after treatment. Fifty-eight senile patients who were diagnosed histopathologically as gastric cancer in our department between Jan. 1988 and Jun. 1992 were evaluated. The patient's characteristics were 45 males and 13 females, 85.7 years old in average, and 35 cases of advanced gastric cancer and 23 cases of early gastric cancer. Endoscopic treatment (21 cases), open surgery (21 cases) and course observation (16 cases) was undergone in the study. As active controls of post-therapeutic prognosis, 327 advanced cases and 172 early cases of gastric cancer patients, who were treated by standard surgery in the same period of our department, were utilized. High incidence of postoperative complications (6/21 cases, 28.6%) was observed in open surgery group of senile patients. In post-therapeutic prognosis, good prognosis was obtained in endoscopic treatment group for early gastric cancer. According to advanced gastric cancer, open surgery group of senile patients showed slightly better prognosis than endoscopic treatment or course observation group.
