Skip Navigation



Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on April 7, 2005
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdi159
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
16/5/767    most recent
mdi159v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lemmens, V. E. P. P.
Right arrow Articles by Coebergh, J. W. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lemmens, V. E. P. P.
Right arrow Articles by Coebergh, J. W. W.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 2005 European Society for Medical Oncology
Received November 2, 2004
Revised December 29, 2004
Accepted December 30, 2004

Original article

Adjuvant treatment for elderly patients with stage III colon cancer in the southern Netherlands is affected by socioeconomic status, gender, and comorbidity

V. E. P. P. Lemmens 1*, A. H. van Halteren 2, M. L. G. Janssen-Heijnen 1, G. Vreugdenhil 3, O. J. Repelaer van Driel 4, and J. W. W. Coebergh 5

1 Comprehensive Cancer Center South, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
2 Department of Internal Medicine, Oosterschelde Hospital, Goes, the Netherlands
3 Department of Internal Medicine, Maxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, the Netherlands
4 Department of Surgery, Maxima Medical Center, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
5 Comprehensive Cancer Center South, Eindhoven, the Netherlands; Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
V. E. P. P. Lemmens, E-mail: research{at}ikz.nl


  Abstract

Background: Adjuvant 5-fluoruracil-based chemotherapy significantly decreases mortality among patients with stage III colon cancer, but is less prescribed with rising age. We were interested in the pattern of adjuvant treatment and possible effects on survival among elderly patients.

Patients and methods: All resected patients aged 65-79 with stage III colon carcinoma, diagnosed between 1995 and 2001 in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre South registry area in the Netherlands were included (n=577). We examined determinants of receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy and their relation to survival.

Results: The proportion of elderly patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy increased from 19% in 1995 to 50% in 2001, but a large inter-hospital variation remained. In a multivariable analysis, females [odds ratio (OR) 0.5, P=0.006], patients with comorbidity [OR 0.5, P=0.005], and patients with a low socioeconomic status [OR 0.5, P=0.02] received less adjuvant therapy. Between 1995 and 2001 survival of elderly patients improved (hazard ratio 0.8, P=0.04).

Conclusion: Although an increasing proportion of elderly patients with colon cancer are treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, many elderly patients still do not receive this treatment. As expected, receipt of adjuvant treatment decreased in the presence of comorbidity, but the clinical rationale for undertreatment of women and patients with low socioeconomic status is not clear.

Keywords: adjuvant chemotherapy; cancer registry; colon cancer; elderly; survival.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Ann OncolHome page
L. N. van Steenbergen, H. J. T. Rutten, G. J. Creemers, J. F. M. Pruijt, J. W. W. Coebergh, and V. E. P. P. Lemmens
Large age and hospital-dependent variation in administration of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer in southern Netherlands
Ann. Onc., October 30, 2009; (2009) mdp482v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GutHome page
M. M Bertagnolli
Doing our best: surgery for rectal cancer
Gut, December 1, 2008; 57(12): 1643 - 1645.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 The OncologistHome page
C.-H. Kohne, G. Folprecht, R. M. Goldberg, E. Mitry, and P. Rougier
Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Colorectal Cancer
Oncologist, April 1, 2008; 13(4): 390 - 402.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JCOHome page
I. Boncz, A. Sebestyen, I. Pinter, J. Betlehem, I. Kriszbacher, T. Csere, L. Mangel, and J. Bodis
Age Group Specific Gap Between Treatment Cost of and Mortality Due to Breast and Colorectal Cancer
J. Clin. Oncol., October 1, 2007; 25(28): 4501 - 4502.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JCOHome page
E. W. Steyerberg, B. Neville, J. C. Weeks, and C. C. Earle
Referral Patterns, Treatment Choices, and Outcomes in Locoregional Esophageal Cancer: A Population-Based Analysis of Elderly Patients
J. Clin. Oncol., June 10, 2007; 25(17): 2389 - 2396.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JCOHome page
H. K. Sanoff, H. Bleiberg, and R. M. Goldberg
Managing Older Patients With Colorectal Cancer
J. Clin. Oncol., May 10, 2007; 25(14): 1891 - 1897.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann OncolHome page
V. Lemmens, I van Lijnschoten, M. Janssen-Heijnen, H. Rutten, C. Verheij, and J-W. Coebergh
Pathology practice patterns affect lymph node evaluation and outcome of colon cancer: a population-based study
Ann. Onc., December 1, 2006; 17(12): 1803 - 1809.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.