After completing this course, the reader will be able to:1. Compare quality of life in long-term colorectal cancer survivors with quality of life in the general population.2. Identify cancer complications that affect quality of life in long-term colorectal cancer survivors.This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com. CME CME
ABSTRACTBackground. The number of long-term colorectal cancer survivors is increasing. Cancer and its treatment can cause physical and psychological complications, but little is known about how it impacts quality of life (QOL) over the long term-5, 10, and 15 years after diagnosis.Methods. Cancer survivors were randomly selected from three tumor registries in France, diagnosed in 1990 (؎1 year), 1995 (؎1 year), and 2000 (؎1 year). Controls were randomly selected from electoral rolls, stratifying on gender, age group, and residence area. Participants completed two QOL questionnaires, a fatigue questionnaire, an anxiety questionnaire, and a life conditions
Background: Folfirinox (FFX) and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GN) are both standard first-line treatments in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC). However, data comparing these two chemotherapeutic regimens and their sequential use remain scarce. Methods: Data from two independent cohorts enrolling patients treated with FFX ( n = 107) or GN ( n = 109) were retrospectively pooled. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Progression-free survival (PFS) was the secondary endpoint. A propensity score based on age, gender, performance status (PS), and presence of liver metastases was used to make groups comparable. Results: In the whole study population, OS was significantly higher in FFX (14 months; 95% CI: 10–21) than in GN groups (9 months; 95% CI: 8–12) before ( p = 0.008) and after ( p = 0.021) adjusting for age, number of metastatic sites, liver metastases, peritoneal carcinomatosis and CA19.9 level at baseline. PFS tends to be higher in FFX (6 months) than GN groups (5 months; p = 0.053). After matching ( n = 49/group), patients were comparable for all baseline characteristics including PS. In the matched population, there was a trend toward greater OS in patients treated with FFX (HR = 0.67; p = 0.097). However, survival in each group was not solely a result of the first-line regimen. The proportion of patients who were fit for GN after FFX failure (FFX–GN sequence) was higher (46.9%) than the reverse sequence (20.4%; p = 0.01), which suggests a higher feasibility for the FFX–GN sequence. Corresponding median OS were 19 months versus 9.5 months, respectively ( p = 0.094). Conclusion: This study shows greater OS with FFX than with GN in patients with mPC. GN after FFX failure appears more feasible than the reverse sequence.
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