Associations between the Geriatric-8 and 4-meter gait speed test and subsequent delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy in older patients with colon cancer

Chemotoxicity and Associated Risk Factors in Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients experience multiple types of chemotoxicity affecting treatment compliance, survival, and quality of life (QOL). Prior research shows clinician-reported chemotoxicity (i.e., grading scales or diagnostic codes) predicts rehospitalization and cancer survival. However, a comprehensive synthesis of clinician-reported chemotoxicity is still lacking.

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine chemotoxicity's prevalence and risk factors in CRC.

METHODS

A systematic search from 2009 to 2024 yielded 30 studies for review, with 25 included in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Pooled prevalences of overall, non-hematological, and hematological moderate-to-severe toxicities were 45.7%, 39.2%, and 25.3%, respectively. The most common clinician-reported chemotoxicities were gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity (22.9%) and neuropathy or neutropenia (17.9%). Significant risk factors at baseline were malnutritional status, frailty, impaired immune or hepato-renal functions, short telomere lengths, low gut lactobacillus levels, age, female sex, aggressive chemotherapy, and low QOL. Age was associated with neutropenia (β: -1.44) and GI toxicity (β:1.85) (p-values < 0.01). Older adults (>65 y.o.) had higher prevalences of overall (OR: 1.14) and GI (OR: 1.65) toxicities, but a lower prevalence of neutropenia (OR: 0.65) than younger adults (p-values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the importance of closely monitoring and managing chemotoxicity in CRC patients receiving chemotherapy.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for elderly patients with colorectal cancer: a single-centre observational study in Japan

Adjuvant chemotherapy improves the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) following radical resection. The aim of the present study is to review appropriate chemotherapeutic regimens for elderly patients. We examined 1138 Japanese patients who were operated for high-risk stage II or stage III CRC between July 2010 and June 2021 at our hospital. Patients were divided according to an age of 70 years. The efficacy of adjuvant therapy was analyzed in association with age and adjuvant chemotherapeutic regimens. A total of 507 patients (45%) were ≥70 years old. They were less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.001) or palliative chemotherapy after recurrence (p < 0.001) than patients aged <70 years. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) in stage III CRC patients was longer in the <70 years group than in the ≥70 years group (p = 0.006); however, CSS by regimens did not significantly differ between these groups. Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with the longer relapse-free survival of stage III CRC patients in the <70 years group (p = 0.005). Although adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a favourable CSS regardless of age, the implementation rate of adjuvant chemotherapy for elderly CRC patients was low, which may explain shorter CSS in stage III CRC patients the ≥70 years group than in the <70 years group.

The Impact of Frailty on Chemotherapy Outcomes in Patients With Digestive System Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of patients with digestive system tumors has been high. In recent years, frailty has been considered to be associated with poor prognosis of digestive system tumors, but there are conflicting research results. A better understanding of the relationship between frailty and outcomes after chemotherapy can help advance the development of oncology care.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of prechemotherapy frailty on chemotherapy toxicity, overall mortality, unplanned hospitalization, and overall survival in patients with digestive system tumors.

METHODS

Up to April 2023, observational studies assessing the impact of frailty on chemotherapy outcomes in patients with digestive system tumors were collected through searching 10 online research databases. Two evaluators independently extracted literature based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and evaluated the quality of the studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

Eventually, 11 cohort studies encompassing 2380 patients were included. The meta-analysis revealed that the frail group exhibited an increased risk of overall mortality, with poorer overall survival than the nonfrail group.

CONCLUSION

Frailty increases the risk of chemotherapy-induced toxic effects, unplanned hospitalization, and death in patients. However, because of this study's limited number of participants, large-sample, multicenter studies to verify these findings are required.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study provides theoretical support for incorporating frailty assessment into the nursing evaluation of patients with digestive system tumors before chemotherapy. This integration aids in predicting patients at a high risk of chemotherapy toxicity, mortality, and unplanned hospitalization, therefore providing corresponding interventions in advance to reduce adverse outcomes.

Assessing Frailty in Gastrointestinal Cancer: Two Diseases in One?

PURPOSEOF REVIEW

This review examines the challenges of treating gastrointestinal cancer in the aging population, focusing on the importance of frailty assessment. Emphasized are the rise in gastrointestinal cancer incidence in older adults, advances in frailty assessments for patients with gastrointestinal cancer, the development of novel frailty markers, and a summary of recent trials.

RECENT FINDINGS

Increasing evidence suggests that the use of a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) to identify frail older adults and individualize cancer care leads to lower toxicity and improved quality of life outcomes. However, the adoption of a full CGA prior to chemotherapy initiation in older cancer patients remains low. Recently, new frailty screening tools have emerged, including assessments designed to specifically predict chemotherapy-related adverse events. Additionally, frailty biomarkers have been developed, such as blood tests like IL-6 and performance tracking through physical activity monitors. The relevance of nutrition and muscle mass is discussed. Highlights from recent trials suggest the feasibility of successfully identifying patients most at risk of serious adverse events. There have been promising developments in identifying novel frailty markers and methods to screen for frailty in the older adult population. Further prospective trials that focus on and address the needs of the geriatric population for early identification of frailty in cancer care, facilitating a more tailored treatment approach. Practicing oncologists should select a frailty assessment to implement into their routine practice and adjust treatment accordingly.

Clinical utility of geriatric assessment tools in older patients with gastrointestinal cancer

BACKGROUND

Geriatric 8 (G8) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are recommended to predict overall survival (OS) or risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) in older cancer patients. However, the clinical utility is relatively unknown in older patients suffering malnutrition with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, including gastric cancer (GC) and pancreatic cancer (PC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively included patients aged ≥65 years with GC, PC, and colorectal cancer (CRC) who received a G8 questionnaire at first visit from April 2018 to March 2020. The associations between G8/IADL and safety or OS were assessed in patients with advanced/unresectable tumors.

RESULTS

Of 207 patients (median age: 75 years), the median G8 score was 10.5 and normal G8 score rate was 6.8%. Both the median G8 score and normal G8 (>14) score rate numerically increased in the order of GC < PC < CRC. There was no clear association between the G8 standard cutoff value of 14 and SAEs or OS. However, OS was significantly longer in patients with G8 >11 than in those with G8 ≤11 (19.3 vs. 10.5 months, p = 0.0017). Furthermore, OS was significantly better in patients with normal IADL than in those with abnormal IADL (17.6 vs. 11.4 months, p = 0.049).

CONCLUSION

The G8 cutoff value of 14 would not be clinically useful in patients with GI cancer for predicting OS or SAEs; however, the cutoff value of 11 and IADL may be useful to predict OS for older patients with GI cancers including GC and PC.

Frailty and long-term survival of patients with colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Frailty has been related with the risk of postoperative complication in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the association between frailty and long-term survival in patients with CRC has not been comprehensively evaluated. We performed a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the relationship between frailty and long-term survival of these patients.

METHODS

Relevant cohort studies with follow-up duration ≥ 1 year were identified from Medline, Embase, and Web of Science. A random-effect model after incorporation of the between-study heterogeneity was selected to pool the results.

RESULTS

Ten cohort studies with 35,546 patients were included, and 4100 (11.5%) of them had frailty. Pooled results showed that patients with frailty had worse overall survival compared to those without frailty at baseline (relative risk [RR]: 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43-3.41, P < 0.001; I² = 92%). Results were consistent for studies adjusting age (RR: 2.20, P < 0.001) or including older cancer patients only (RR: 2.28, P = 0.002). Subgroup analyses showed that difference in study design, follow-up duration, or study quality scores may not significantly affect the findings (P for subgroup analyses all > 0.05). Further meta-analyses with two datasets showed that frailty was also associated with worse cancer-specific survival (RR: 4.60, 95% CI 2.75-7.67, P < 0.001; I² = 38%) and recurrence-free survival (RR: 1.72, 95% CI 1.30-2.28, P < 0.001; I² = 0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty at admission is associated with worse survival of patients with colorectal cancer.

The role of grip strength and short physical performance battery test in predicting chemotherapy-related outcomes in older adults with cancer

BACKGROUND

Grip strength (GS) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) are brief objective tests used during a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to assess physical performance. Abnormal GS and SPPB scores are associated with greater morbidity and mortality in older adults with cancer but their relationship with chemotherapy tolerability is unclear. We explored the performance of GS and SPPB in predicting therapy delay, dose reduction, and treatment completion in older adults undergoing chemotherapy or chemoradiation. Additionally, we examined associations between GS, SPPB, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).

METHODS

Retrospective review of patients ≥65 years old who had undergone a pre-treatment CGA in a geriatric oncology clinic were retrieved from electronic charts and institutional databases. Abnormal GS was defined as <26 kg and < 16 kg for men and women, respectively. Abnormal SPPB was defined as ≤9 points. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between abnormal GS or SPPB alone or combined with chemotherapy-related outcomes (e.g., delay, dose reduction, completion). Chi-squared tests were used to determine associations between physical performance measures (GS and SPPB) and IADLs.

RESULTS

A total of 85 participants (mean age 79.1 years old) with mixed cancer diagnoses were included. Approximately 67% of participants exhibited abnormal GS or SPPB prior to treatment. Abnormal GS or SPPB (combined) was associated with treatment delay (odds ratio (OR) = 7.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.77, 32.43, P = 0.006). When physical performance measures were examined separately, only SPPB predicted treatment delay (OR = 3.26, 95%CI = 1.04, 10.21, P = 0.043). Abnormal GS or SPPB were not associated with dose reduction or treatment completion. Abnormal GS and SPPB alone or combined demonstrated only modest sensitivity (41.9-76.7%) and negative predictive value (57.9-64.2%) in identifying IADLs dependence.

CONCLUSION

GS and SPPB may be used to predict treatment delay in older adults prior to chemotherapy and chemoradiation. Additional studies are warranted to examine whether GS and/or SPPB can predict dose reduction and treatment completion in older adults prior to receiving chemotherapy or chemoradiation.