Publication Date
2019
Journal Title
Oncologist
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Less than 3% of older patients with cancer are enrolled in clinical trials. To reverse this underrepresentation, we compared older patients enrolled with older-patient-specific trials, defined as those designed for older patients with cancer, with those enrolled in age-unspecified trials.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We focused on individual patient data from those ≥65 years (younger patients excluded) and included all Alliance phase III adjuvant breast cancer trials from 1985-2012.
RESULTS: Among 2,277 patients, 1,014 had been enrolled to older-patient-specific and 1,263 to age-unspecified trials. The median age (range) in the older-patient-specific trials was 72 (65-89) years compared with 68 (65-84) years in the cohort of older patients in age-unspecified trials;
CONCLUSION: Older-patient-specific trials appear to address this underrepresentation of older patients with ostensibly comparable outcomes.
Volume Number
24
Issue Number
6
Pages
e284-e291
Document Type
Article
Status
Faculty
Facility
School of Medicine
Primary Department
Hematology/Medical Oncology
PMID
DOI
10.1634/theoncologist.2018-0803