In a nutshell
This study investigated the safety of oxaliplatin to treat colorectal cancer in elderly patients. Researchers suggested that oxaliplatin treatment is associated with neuropathy (numbness of arms or legs) in these patients.
Some background
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among the elderly. However, elderly people are not always present in colorectal cancer studies.
Chemotherapy is standard treatment for stage 2 or 3 colorectal cancer. Prior studies showed that the addition of oxaliplatin to chemotherapy drugs improves overall survival, although at the expense of increased side effects. The main side effect reported is peripheral neuropathy. The rate and severity of peripheral neuropathy with oxaliplatin in elderly patients is not well known.
Methods & findings
This study investigated the safety of oxaliplatin in combination with chemotherapy to treat colorectal cancer in elderly patients.
This study included 3607 patients aged more than 65 years old with stage 2 and 3 colorectal cancer. Of these, 1541 (43%) patients had been treated with oxaliplatin.
Patients over the age of 70 treated with oxaliplatin were 2.3 times more at risk of having neuropathy when compared with patients not treated with the drug. There was no significant difference in patients ages 66 to 69.
The bottom line
This study concluded that patients over the age of 70 treated with oxaliplatin are more at risk of developing neuropathy.
Published By :
Clinical Colorectal Cancer
Date :
Dec 01, 2017
