Risk factors of post-operative pneumonia in elderly patients with gastric cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

We identified a poor performance status and cardia-non-preserving gastrectomy, which are likely to lead to oesophageal reflux, as risk factors for post-operative pneumonia in elderly patients with gastric cancer. These results warrant further prospective studies to evaluate their utility for reducing the rate of post-operative pneumonia in elderly patients through cardia-preserving gastrectomy or anti-reflux reconstruction.