Abstract

PURPOSE
A retrospective clinical study of 213 patients who underwent curative resection due to hepatocellular carcinoma was performed in order to compare the mortality and survival rates of elderly patients with those of younger patients following the resection.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
All subjects underwent curative resection at Shinchon & Yongdong Severance Hospital between January 1985 to December 1994. The subjects were classified into three age groups: Group I (n=26) under 40, Group II (n=142) between 41 and 60, and Group III (n=45) over 60. Variables considered include sex, family history, accompanied diseases, Hbs Ag, -PF, Child classification, operative method, resection margin, number of mass, size of mass and gross-appearance were evaluated by X2-test (p=0.05). The one, three and five year survival rates were analysed in each group by the Kaplan- Meyer method and survival curves were compared by the log-rank test. A probability of <0.05 was accepted as significant.
RESULTS
The results showed that elderly patients have no significant differences from the younger patients in any of the variables considered including postoperative morbidity, survival rate and disease-free survival rate, except for the family history and positive Hbs Ag in which the elderly patients showed significantly lower values.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that hepatocellular carcinoma in the aged can be treated in identical manner as in younger patients.

• Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma;Age group;Clinical characteristics;Treatment results