Adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival amongst octogenarians following resection of colorectal adenocarcinoma
Publication Details
Fernando, D.,
Hanna, J.,
&
Cohen, R.
(2023).
Adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival amongst octogenarians following resection of colorectal adenocarcinoma.
ANZ Journal of Surgery,.
Abstract
Background: The Australian population is ageing, with an increasing number of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their eighth decade. This group represents a challenging cohort to deliver multidisciplinary care, with increased morbidity and mortality related to surgical and oncological therapies. This project aimed to compare surgical and oncological outcomes in octogenarian and non-octogenarian patients with colorectal cancer.
Methods: A matched case–control retrospective review of a prospectively maintained institutional database of colorectal cancer patients treated between 2005 and 2021 was con-ducted. Patient demographics, treatment details, peri-operative complications, and long-term survival were reported. The primary outcome, cancer-specific survival, was investigated using time-to-event analysis and interrogated with multivariate regression.
Results: There were 747 patients included in the study. There was no difference in five-year cancer-specific survival and recurrence-free survival between cohorts. Multivariate analysis for octogenarians confirmed a significant hazard signal associated with worsening cancer stage and a survival benefit associated with the administration of adjuvant therapy. However, we noted that stage-matched octogenarian patients received less adjuvant treatment compared to non-octogenarians.
Conclusion: Octogenarians undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer have similar cancer-specific survival and recurrence-free survival to non-octogenarians. Our study demonstrates a survival benefit when adjuvant therapy is provided to octogenarians, despite only half ofthis cohort receiving therapy compared to their younger peers. Further research into adju-vant therapy with surgical resection for CRC in older Australians is required
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