Patient selection in major upper abdominal surgery for cancer in octogenarians

Abstract

The overall rates of major upper abdominal cancer resections in octogenarians have increased over time. The number of major liver and pancreatic resections for cancer in this demographic has more than doubled from 2001 to 2011. This trend may be the result of an emboldened surgical approach within the context of increasingly favorable inpatient mortality rates from elective surgeries of the pancreas and liver.