Age-Related Disparity in Treatment Outcome Among Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

The number of newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has been increasing in not only the aging population but also among those younger than 50 years old. However, age-related disparity in the management of patients with mCRC has not been adequately evaluated. This study aimed to compare and contrast the treatment outcome and adverse events among different age groups of patients with mCRC.

Dr. Hao Xie recently shared the research conducted for this study at the 2022 AACR Annual Meeting. This method included utilizing the previously published clinical trial data (NCT00364013) from Project Data Sphere with patients who received first-line FOLFOX or FOLFOX + panitumumab for mCRC. Patients in each treatment arm were grouped by age- patients under 50, patients 50-65 years of age, and over 65 years of age. Continuous and categorical variables were compared with t test and Fisher’s exact test, respectively. Survival was summarized using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using a log-rank test. Cox proportional-hazards model was used to determine the association of adverse events with survival.

The results showed patients with early-onset colorectal cancer not only had worse outcomes but also increased the toxicity from systemic chemotherapy. Additionally, patients with early-onset mCRC had a higher incidence and earlier onset of adverse events. "This will help practicing oncologists individualize patient care, as well as supportive cancer for patients with early-onset colorectal cancer," said Dr. Hao Xie.

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