Does age of patients with gastrointestinal cancer impact postoperative physical function and quality of life? A prospective study using the new Japanese elderly standard.
Tsuyoshi Hara, Eisuke Kogure, Akira Kubo
PMID 33362355WHAT IT FOUND
Patients aged 75 or older had shorter walking distance, weaker knee extension, and lower physical functioning and mental health at 4 weeks after surgery.
Body mass index fell in all age groups, but knee force and walking distance did not change overall.
Key findings
01Patients aged 75 or older had lower isometric knee extension force and 6-minute walk distance than the other age groups.
02Several SF-36 subscales decreased at 4 weeks after surgery, including physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, and role emotional, and physical functioning differed among age groups.
03Mental health changed differently by age: the young group increased from baseline to 4 weeks after surgery, while the old group decreased.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 94 patients at one hospital, and many patients declined consent or were excluded, so the results may not represent all patients having gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Patients with emergency surgery, non-malignancy diagnosed after surgery, heavy impact postoperative course, or difficult home discharge were excluded. Hypertension and open surgery were more common in the old group and were not fully examined as possible confounders. Physical activity from discharge to 4 weeks after surgery was not measured, so it could affect the follow-up results.
Declared interests
This study was funded by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the age group differences as proof that being 75 or older causes worse postoperative recovery. The study was observational, many patients declined or were excluded, and differences in hypertension, open surgery, and physical activity were not controlled.