Surgeons must carefully assess the risks and benefits of surgery in octogenarians with colorectal cancer, as comorbidity significantly impacts outcomes.

• In a study of 400 patients, those aged 80+ had a 40.4% noncancer mortality rate at 5 years, driven by high comorbidity.
• Octogenarians had higher comorbidity (68.3%) compared to younger patients (22.3%).
• Overall survival for patients aged 80+ was 62 months versus 91 months for younger patients.

Tailor postoperative management based on comorbidity rather than age alone to improve patient outcomes.