OBJECTIVES To identify patient characteristics associated with polypharmacy and inappropriate medication (PIM) use among older patients with newly diagnosed cancer. DESIGN Cross-Sectional Study. SETTING Ambulatory oncology clinics at an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS 117 patients aged ≥ 65 years with newly diagnosed histologically confirmed stage I–IV cancer were enrolled between April 2008 and September 2009. MEASUREMENTS Medication review, included patient self-report and medical records. Polypharmacy was defined as the concurrent use of ≥ five medications, (Yes/No). PIM use was defined as use of ≥ one medication included in the 2003 update of Beers Criteria, (Yes/No). RESULTS The prevalence of polypharmacy and PIM use were 80% and 41%, respectively. Three independent correlates of medication use were identified. An increase in comorbidity count by one, ECOG-PS score by one, and PIM use by one, was associated with an increase in medication use by 0.48 (P=0.0002), 0.79 (P=0.01) and 1.22 (P=0.006), respectively. Two independent correlates of PIM use were identified. The odds of using PIMs decreased by 10% for one unit increase in Body Mass Index [Odds Ratio (OR) 0.90, 95% CI = (0.84, 0.97)], and increased by 18% for each increase in medication count by one [OR 1.18, 95% CI = (1.04, 1.34)]. CONCLUSION There was a high prevalence of polypharmacy and PIM use in older patients with newly diagnosed cancer. Given the co-occurrence of polypharmacy with poor performance status and multi-morbidity, multi-dimensional interventions are needed in the geriatric-oncology population to improve health and cancer outcomes.

Background In pancreatic cancer, early detection and complete surgical resection with negative margins offers the only cure for the disease. Work up to evaluate resectability includes triple phase helical scan CT of the pancreas and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). A paucity of data exists in using PET/CT scan as staging work up in early resectable pancreatic cancer. The objective of our study was to determine if PET/CT prevents futile laparotomy by detecting occult metastatic disease in patients with resectable/borderline pancreatic cancer. Methods We looked at our institutional PET/CT data base incorporating National Oncologic PET Registry with diagnosis of resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer from 2005 to 2012. Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic follow-up was evaluated, including age, gender, evidence of metastatic disease, and initial CA 19–9 levels. The impact of PET/CT on patient management was estimated by calculating the percentage of patients whose treatment plan was altered due to PET/CT. The confidence interval was computed using the exact binomial distribution. The effect on the change was evaluated by the multiple logistic regression model. The final model was selected using the backward elimination method. Results We identified 285 patients with early stage (resectable or borderline) pancreatic cancer who received PET/CT as part of initial staging workup. Upon initial work up (CT + EUS), 62% of patients were considered resectable and 38% were borderline resectable. Addition of PET/CT scan changed the management in 10.9% (n=31) of patients (95% CI: 7.5%–15.1%). Median time from EUS to PET/CT was 5 days. Metastatic lesions were confirmed with biopsy in 19 (61%) patients. The proportion in the change in treatment plan is significantly higher in patients who were initially considered to have borderline resectable compared to resectable malignancy (16.5% vs. 7.4%). In 199 patients who were taken to surgery, 18.1% (n=36) were found to have metastatic disease intraoperatively. Conclusions PET/CT helped improve detection of occult metastases, ultimately sparing these patients a potentially unnecessary surgery. The role of PET/CT scan should be validated in prospective study.

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With the changed dosing schedule, this regimen was very well tolerated. The tumor pCR and downstaging rates are encouraging and support further clinical investigation of this regimen.

Survival in patients with metastatic esophageal and gastric cancer is dismal. No standard treatment has been established. Carboplatin/paclitaxel is active in both advanced gastric and esophageal cancer. Here we retrospectively present our single center experience. Between 1998 and 2013, a total of 134 patients with metastatic esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma treated with carboplatin/paclitaxel (carboplatin predominantly area under the curve 5 and paclitaxel predominantly 175 mg/m(2)) every 3 weeks as first-line therapy were identified. Baseline characteristics, response to therapy, toxicities, and survival in this patient population were evaluated. Overall survival was defined as date from diagnosis to death or last follow up, and progression-free survival was defined at time from cycle 1 to, progression or last follow up. Kaplan-Meier curves were fit to estimate overall and progression-free survival. Of the 134 patients evaluated, the median age at diagnosis was 65 years. Disease control rate was 62.6% (complete response: 11%, partial response: 28%, stable disease: 33%). Median overall survival from date of initial diagnosis was 15.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.5). Median progression-free survival from date of initiation of carboplatin and paclitaxel was 5.3 months (95% CI 0.34-0.5). Grade III or greater toxicity occurred in 26.1% of patients. The most common grade III toxicities were neutropenia and neuropathy, present in 14.2% and 3.7% of the total study population, respectively. In patients with metastatic or unresectable esophageal or gastric cancer, the combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel is well tolerated with comparable overall survival and progression-free survival to existing regimens in this population.