Study: Some Receive Chemotherapy Despite Uncertain Benefit

More than one-quarter of patients over age 65 who undergo surgery for stage II colon cancer subsequently have chemotherapy even though there is no clear evidence that the follow-on treatment provides any benefit, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center researchers.

The researchers said they identified 3,151 patients aged 65 to 75 who underwent surgery for stage II colon cancer in the Medicare database, and found that 27 percent had received chemotherapy during the 3 postoperative months.

The five-year survival rate was 78 percent for those who underwent chemotherapy, compared to 75 percent for those who were untreated following surgery, the researchers reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"Clinical trials have not demonstrated that adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival for patients with resected stage II colon cancer," the researchers said.

Nevertheless, "a substantial percentage of Medicare beneficiaries with resected stage II colon cancer receive adjuvant chemotherapy despite its uncertain benefit," they concluded.

Other Sources: Journal of Clinical Oncology