Lung cancer surgery in octogenarians revisited—risk factors and survival in a long lifespan population

The outcome of patients above 80 years undergoing lung surgery has been investigated by numerous studies proving that the majority of these patients can safely undergo effective surgery (1-3). Age itself is thus no longer a contraindication for surgery (4,5). To find out which patient profits which does not, each study identifies one or more variables that represent a potential risk factor for postoperative complications or impairs long time survival compared to their younger counterparts.