Treatment Outcome of Elderly Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Supportive Care and Supportive Care plus Chemotherapy or Targeted Therapy

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether supportive care plus chemotherapy or targeted therapynimproved survival benefit, compared with supportive care alone, in the elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of the elderly patients (age 65 years or older) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who had visited the oncology clinic at Vajira hospital between 2010 and 2012. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between groups by using the log-rank test. Demographic and clinical treatment variables were examined for association with survival outcome using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results: Three hundred and thirty-one patients were included. Two hundred eight patients (63%) received supportive care plus chemotherapy or targeted therapy and 123 patients (37%) received supportive care alone. Median PFS times were 6.63 months among patients receiving chemotherapy or targeted therapy versus 3.93 months among those receiving supportive care alone (p = 0.013). Median OS times were 9.97 months versus 4.43 months, respectively (p <0.001). With univariate analyses, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status and brain metastasis were significantlyassociated with survival outcome.

Conclusion: Our results found the statistically significant improved PFS and OS in patients who were treated with supportive care plus chemotherapy or targeted therapy compared with supportive care alone.