Objective：To analyze the clinicopathologic features, effect of surgical treatment and prognosis of elderly patients with gastric cancer.
Methods：The records of 84 elderly patients (aged 80 years or above) with gastric cancer who underwent operation in our hospital from 2000-2008 were analyzed retrospectively.
Results：Ten patients had early gastric cancer (1a,8 cases, 1b, 2cases), stage II 12 cases, stage III 45 cases (53.6%) and stage IV 17 cases. Among them, 81% patients had one or more co-morbidities. Cardiovascular disease  was present in 43 cases(51.2%).  Resection rate was 85.7% (72/84).  Radical resection rate was 60.7%(51/84). Limited nodal dissection(＜D2) was done in 27 cases (52.9%). D2 dissection was performed in 20 cases (47.1%).The postoperative complication rate was 28.6%, and the rate of surgical related morbidities was 6.0%. The main non-surgical complication in postoperative period was pulmonary infection (14.3%). The tumor size was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (P=0.009).  Postoperative mortality was 3.6% （n=3）.The 5 years survival rate was 63.0% for limited nodal dissection and 50.0% for D2 dissection.  Total survival rate for radical resection was 56.9%. The 5-year survival rate for stage I cancer was 80.0%.
Conclusions：Gastrectomy with limited nodal dissection in elderly patients with gastric cancer and mild preoperative co-morbidity is safe and effective, and can achieve a good prognosis.