Effectiveness of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents in elderly patients (age ≥ 70 years) with <i>RAS</i> wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer: Nationwide real-world data.

Abstract

57 Background: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agents plus chemotherapy for elderly patients (aged &gt; or = 70 years) with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) from nationwide data in Taiwan. Methods: Total 756 patients with RAS wild-type mCRC who received first-line therapy with anti-EGFR agents (Cetuximab) plus chemotherapy at nationwide multiple institutions from November 2016 to January 2021. The study explored the prognostic impact between two age groups (≥70 vs &lt;70). Progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were compared. Additionally, severe adverse events (SAEs) were also compared between two age groups. Results: The median PFS and CSS were comparable between the two age groups (14.0 vs 14.0 months, p = 0.098; 32.0 vs 35.0 months, p = 0.226, respectively). Moreover, subgroup analysis revealed similar PFS and CSS between two age groups in patients with synchronous or metachronous mCRC and left-sided or right-sided tumors (all p &gt; 0.05). Regarding hematologic SAEs, a significant higher incidence of grade ≥ 3 anemia was found in elderly patient group (13.3% vs 5.0%, p = 0.003). However, no significant difference was observed in the incidence of non-hematologic SAEs (all p &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: According to this nationwide real-world data, for patients carrying RAS wild-type mCRC treated with cetuximab plus chemotherapy, elderly patients could have comparable benefit as younger ones. Except for grade ≥ 3 anemia, other hematologic SAEs and non-hematologic SAEs revealed no significant difference between two age groups.