Benefits from Adjuvant Treatment for Colon Cancer in Older vs. Younger Patients

Previously reported results from the IDEA clinical trial support 3 months of adjuvant fluorinated pyrimidine plus oxaliplatin as the standard treatment for most patients with stage III colon cancer (NEJM JW Oncol Hematol Apr 3 2018 and N Engl J Med; 378:1177). However, debate continues whether oxaliplatin should be added to adjuvant chemotherapy in older patients. Now, in a combined analysis of 12 randomized trials in the IDEA and ACCENT databases, investigators compared outcomes between patients aged ≥70 and <70 years.

Of nearly 18,000 patients, 24% were ≥70 years; compared with younger patients, they were more frequently male and had ECOG PS >1, T4 tumors located in the proximal colon, microsatellite- instability–high status, and BRAF^V600E…