Evaluation of elderly women with uterin cervical cancer
Authors: Birge Özer , Bakır Mehmet Sait , Karadag Ceyda , Doğan Selen , Tuncer Hasan Aykut , Simsek Tayup 
Published: October 2021

Background

Uterine cervical cancer rates also increase with aging. Especially, the primary treatments of patients with cervical cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Aim

Our aim is to discuss the effect of clinical and histopathological risk factors on survival in patients over 65 years old with invasive cervical cancer in the light of the literature.

Methods and Results

The files of 60 patients aged 65 and over who were diagnosed, examined, and treated for invasive cervical uteri cancer between 2004 and 2021 by the gynecological oncology clinic of Akdeniz University were analyzed retrospectively after obtaining approval from the Akdeniz University ethics committee with the number KAEK‐110. Detailed written consent was obtained from all patients and their relatives for data analysis. Patients aged 65 and over who were diagnosed with invasive cervical uteri cancer at all stages who accepted treatment were included in the study. The patients who were not included in the study were those who did not accept treatment, did not continue their follow‐up regularly, were under 65 years of age, had preinvasive cervical lesion, had a second primary cancer, had an unknown stage, and died due to accidents or similar reasons.

When the demographic data of 60 cases were examined, the mean age was 70.5, the youngest age was 65, and the oldest age was 84. When we divided them into two groups by age groups, 76.7% were between 65 and 75 years old and 23.3% were over 75 years old. When the data of 60 patients who were referred to our hospital, which was a tertiary center in the 15 years duration, were examined, the mean disease‐progression free survival (PFS) of patients with locally advanced stage was 45 months, however, it was 4 months for metastatic patients, this difference was significant and a statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (p: .001). When the total survival was examined, the mean was 108.7 months in the locally advanced stage group, while it was 2.9 months in metastatic cases, and this difference was also statistically significant between the two groups (p: .001). When we divide the cases into two groups as between 65 and 75 and over 75 years of age, the mean age of disease‐free survival is 76.9 months in the 65–75 years old group, while 16 months in the 76–85 years old group, however, the p value of this difference in PFS between the two groups was not significant (p: 0.154). However, when the total survival was examined, it was seen that the mean was 140.4 in the 65–75 years old group, while it was 56 months in the 76–85 years old group and this difference was significant between the two groups (p: .046).

Conclusion

In parallel with the increased population worldwide, advanced age cancer rates are increasing. In parallel with the population growth, it should be remembered that the patients over 65 years of age who were diagnosed with invasive uterine cervical cancer had difficulty in accessing screening tests, late diagnosis and inadequate treatment regimens due to concomitant diseases, resulting in recurrence in a short time and poor clinical symptoms due to short total survival.