Patients over 65 with stage III colorectal cancer who completed the full 6 month course of chemotherapy were almost twice as likely to survive as those who stopped treatment early. However, about 30% dropped out of therapy early.
Examing data for 1,600 people over 65 receiving 5FU-based chemotherapy between 1995 and 1999 and lived at least 8 months, researchers found that those who were able to complete 5 to 7 months of treatment were 40% less likely to die from any cause and 47% less likely to die of colon cancer.
Older age, being unmarried, and having other health problems all contributed to those who didn’t finish chemotherapy.
Alfred I. Neugut and his colleagues from Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital reported the results of their study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology published early online on April 17, 2006.
More than 30% of elderly patients who initiated FU-based chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer and survived for at least 8 months discontinued treatment early. Mortality rates among such patients were nearly twice as high as among patients who completed 5 to 7 months of treatment. If the association we observed between duration of treatment and survival is confirmed, additional investigation is warranted to determine whether dose-intensity, cumulative dose, or other factors related to receipt of full adjuvant treatment are responsible.
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