How Old Is Too Old for Colorectal Cancer Surgery?
When a reasonably healthy octogenarian gets a diagnosis of colon cancer, the issue of age is bound to come up. How old is too old for colon cancer surgery? What are the risks? What kind of recovery and quality of life can the very elderly expect afterward? Is it worth it? Johns Hopkins explores these questions and others in this Special Report. The first line of treatment for colorectal cancer is to remove the primary tumor or tumors. If your cancer is confined to polyps or a small area, surgery is probably the only treatment that you need. For stage I or II cancers that have not spread to the lymph nodes, the expected five-year survival rate after surgery without chemotherapy is 80 to 90%. Surgery usually involves removing the segment of the colon or rectum that has the primary cancer and a margin of healthy colon on either side of the cancer. The surgeon will also remove the tissue that holds the colon in place (mesentery) and the adjacent lymph nodes. The number of lymph nodes remov
