Impact of age on survival of patients with pancreatic cancer after surgery: Analysis of SEER data

Background: To explore the impact of age on all-cause death and cancer-specific death in patients with pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma (PDAC) undergoing surgery. Materials and methods: Individuals with PDAC undergoing surgery between 2004 and 2013 (N = 11,138) were retrospectively studied from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry database. The impact of age on all-cause death and cancer-specific death was assessed using Cox regression model and competing risk model respectively. Results: Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the risks of all-cause death increased with age: hazard ratios (95% confidence interval, 95% CI) were 1.10 (1.04-1.17), 1.31 (1.23-1.38), 1.47 (1.35 -1.61) for groups 61-70 years, 71e80 years, and > 80 years, respectively, compared with <= 60 years. Multivariate competing risk analysis indicated that the risk of cancer-specific death was similar between patients <= 60 years and 61-70 years (subhazard ratio 0.93; 95% confidence interval 0.87-1.00), but decreased in patients 71-80 years (subhazard ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.79-0.90) and > 80 years (subhazard ratio 0.76; 95% CI 0.68-0.85). Conclusion: Age at diagnosis appeared to be an independent predictor of prognosis, with reverse impacts on all-cause death and cancer-specific death. (C) 2017 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.