Abstract 588P
Background
The incidence of geriatric cancer is rising exponentially, with two-thirds of cases in low- and middle-income countries. In India, the leading cancers among the elderly are lung and prostate cancer in men, and breast and cervical cancer in women. Survival is influenced by cancer type, stage, overall health, comorbidities, and treatment options. This study aims to assess the stage, comorbidity, performance status, and treatment modality in leading geriatric cancers.
Methods
This retrospective study reviewed hospital data of geriatric patients with breast, lung, prostate, and cervical cancer at TMH, registered between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017. Data from electronic medical records included age, gender, tumor site, stage, comorbidity, performance status, treatment intention, and modality. Follow-up continued until December 31, 2021, via phone and EMR. Data analysis used STATA 17.0, summarizing findings with mean, SD, median, range, proportions, and 95% CIs. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests assessed overall survival (OS), while Cox proportional hazards models examined multifactorial impacts on OS. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results
A total of 1509 geriatric patients were included for analysis with a mean age (SD) of 66.94 ± 5.52 years and a sex ratio of 934 females per 1000 males. A history of comorbidity was present in 850 (56.3%) of the patients. The ECOG performance score of 2 or more was observed in 17 (4.36%) breast, 21 (10.19%) cervical, 64 (23.16%) prostate, and 212 (33.13%) lung cancer patients. The proportion of patients with distant metastasis was 68 (17.44%) breast, 20 (10.71%) cervical, 149 (53.85%) prostate, and 441 (68.91%) lung cancer patients. Palliative care was given to 513 (80.16%) lung cancer and 86 (31.50%) prostate cancer patients.
Conclusions
Half of the geriatric cancer patients with lung and prostate cancer presented with distant metastasis, and the majority of lung cancer patients were treated with palliative intent. One-third of lung cancer patients had limited performance status. Early detection of cancer in geriatric patients can lead to downstaging and improved curative treatment outcomes.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.