Surgical and functional outcomes and survival following Colon Cancer surgery in the aged: a study protocol for a prospective, observational multicentre study

Background The number of colorectal cancer patients increases with age. The decision to go through major surgery can be challenging for the aged patient and the surgeon because of the heterogeneity within the older population. Differences in preoperative physical and cognitive status can affect postoperative outcomes and functional recovery, and impact on patients’ quality of life. Methods / design A prospective, observational, multicentre study including nine hospitals to analyse the impact of colon cancer surgery on functional ability, short-term outcomes (complications and mortality), and their predictors in patients aged ≥80 years. The catchment area of the study hospitals is 3.88 million people, representing 70% of the population of Finland. The data will be gathered from patient baseline characteristics, surgical interventional data, and pre- and postoperative patient-questionnaires, to an electronic database (REDCap) especially dedicated to the study. Discussion This multicentre study provides information about colon cancer surgery’s operative and functional outcomes on older patients. A further aim is to find prognostic factors which could help to predict adverse outcomes of surgery. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03904121 ). Registered on 1 April 2019.