Page 142 - Risk quantification and modification in older patients with colorectal cancer

Chapter 7
(according to AJCC 5th edition). Postoperative information also included data on length of hospital stay, readmission (within 30 days) and adjuvant chemotherapy.
Postoperative complications (any complication) were subdivided into any surgical complication (e.g., wound infection, bleeding, abscess, anastomotic leakage, ileus and readmission) and non‐surgical complications (including cardiac complications). Postoperative mortality was defined as death within 30 days of resection. Severe complications were defined as complications leading to ICU admission (longer than 2 days), to a reintervention, to a prolonged hospital stay of more than 14 days, or to postoperative mortality. This is consistent with previous publications in which data from the DSCA were analyzed.25 Both severe complications, as well as a hospital stay of more than 14 days, were used as a proxy of the severity of a complication or the inappropriate use of a hospital bed when no complication was registered.26,27 One-year mortality was calculated using data from the Municipal Personal Records Database.
From medical records, the cause of death and the standardised geriatric interview data were collected. The standardised geriatric interview data was only available from 2014 onward. The interview questions concerned the abilities to perform basic daily activities (ADL) from which a Katz ADL 6 core (cut-off ≥2) was constructed.28 Other data included the use of a walking device, reported falls in the past 6 months and the self-report of cognitive impairment. Patients using 5 or more medications on a daily bases were identified as having polypharmacy.
Statistical analysis
We performed descriptive analysis, expressing normally distributed variables as mean with standard deviation (SD) or nonnormal distributed variables as median with interquartile range (IQR). Frequencies are presented with numbers and percentage. Baseline variables of the three groups were compared using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or the chi-squared test (X2). Outcomes of the 2014-2015 cohort were analysed using a logistic regression analysis with 2010-2011 or 2012-2013 as reference group or Fisher-exact test when logistic regression was not deemed suitable because of less than five events in one group. Odds ratios (ORs) are given with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A p-value ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 24.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL).
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