Targeted Therapy for Older Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Systematic Review and Guidelines from the French Society of Geriatric Oncology (SoFOG) and the French-Language Society of Pulmonology (SPLF)/ French-Language Oncology Group (GOLF)

Systematic molecular profiling and targeted therapy (TKI) have changed the face of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) treatment. However, there are no specific recommendations to address the prescription of TKI for older patients. A multidisciplinary task force from the French Society of Geriatric Oncology (SoFOG) and the French Society of Pulmonology/Oncology Group (SPLF/GOLF) conducted a systematic review from May 2010 to May 2021. Protocol registered in Prospero under number CRD42021224103. Three key questions were selected for older patients with NSCLC: (1) to whom TKI can be proposed, (2) for whom monotherapy should be favored, and (3) to whom a combination of TKI can be proposed. Among the 534 references isolated, 52 were included for the guidelines. The expert panel analysis concluded: (1) osimertinib 80 mg/day is recommended as a first-line treatment for older patients with the EGFR mutation; (2) full-dose first generation TKI, such as erlotinib or gefitinib, is feasible; (3) ALK and ROS1 rearrangement studies including older patients were too scarce to conclude on any definitive recommendations; and (4) given the actual data, TKI should be prescribed as monotherapy. Malnutrition, functional decline, and the number of comorbidities should be assessed primarily before TKI initiation. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Overall Survival and Prognostic Factors among Older Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis Using a Hospital Database

International audiencePre-therapeutic factors associated with overall survival (OS) among older patients ≥70 years with metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC) are not known. This was a retrospective single-centre cohort study in Paris including 159 consecutive older patients with mPC between 2000 and 2018. Alongside geriatric parameters, specific comorbidities, cancer-related data and chemotherapy regimens were retrieved. Cox multivariate models were run to assess predictors for OS. The median age was 80 years, 52% were women, 21.5% had diabetes, and 48% had pancreatic head cancer and 72% liver metastases. 62% of the patients (n = 99) received chemotherapy, among which the gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel (GnP) regimen was the most frequent (72%). Median OS [95%CI] was 7.40 [5.60–10.0] and 1.40 [0.90–2.20] months respectively for patients with and without chemotherapy. The GnP regimen (aHR [95%CI] = 0.47 [0.25–0.89], p = 0.02) and diabetes (aHR = 0.44 [0.24–0.77], p = 0.004) (or anti-diabetic therapy) were multivariate protective factors for death, while ECOG-PS, liver metastases, and the neutrophil cell count were multivariate risk factors for death. In the chemotherapy group, ECOG-PS, number of metastatic sites and the GnP remained significantly associated with OS. Our study confirms the feasibility and efficacy of chemotherapy and the protective effects of diabetes among older patients with mPC

Safety and efficacy of immunotherapy according to the age threshold of 80 years

International audienceBackground: To compare safety and efficacy of ICIs among patients<80 and those ≥80 years of age.Methods: A single-center retrospective observational cohort study comparing patients<80 and ≥80 years of age matched for cancer site (lung vs others) and participation in a clinical trial.Primary endpoint: grade ≥2 toxicity during the first three months of ICI therapy. The two groups were compared using univariate and multivariate regression.Results: Two hundred and ten consecutive patients were recruited, with the following characteristics: mean age: 66.5±16.8, 20% aged ≥80 years, 75% male, 97% ECOG-PS ≤ 2, 78% G8-index ≤ 14/17, 80% lung or kidney cancer, and 97% metastatic cancer. The grade ≥2 toxicity rate during the first three months of ICI therapy was 68%. Patients aged ≥80 years of age had a more significant (P<0.05) proportion of grade ≥2 non-hematological toxicities (64% vs 45%) than those aged<80 years: rash (14% vs 4%), arthralgia (7.1% vs 0.6%), colitis (4.7% vs 0.6%), cytolysis (7.1% vs 1.2%), gastrointestinal bleeding (2.4% vs 0%), onycholysis (2.4% vs 0%), oral mucositis (2.4% vs 0%), psoriasis (2.4% vs 0%), or other skin toxicities (25% vs 3%). Efficacy among patients ≥80 and<80 years of age was comparable.Conclusions: Although non-hematological toxicities affected 20% more patients aged ≥80 years, hematological toxicities and efficacy were comparable between patients aged ≥80 and<80 years with advanced cancer and treated with ICIs

Complications and Discharge after Radical Cystectomy for Older Patients with Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: The ELCAPA-27 Cohort Study

International audienceRadical cystectomy is the standard of care for localized bladder cancer but is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates—especially among older patients with comorbidities. The association between geriatric assessment parameters on post-operative complications and discharge has not previously been investigated. The present analysis of the Elderly Cancer Patient (ELCAPA) prospective cohort included all patients aged ≥70 having undergone a geriatric assessment and then radical cystectomy for localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer between 2007 and 2018. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with one or more complications in the first 30 days after cystectomy. The secondary endpoints were the length of hospital stay (LOS), the 30-day mortality, and discharge rates. Sixty-two patients (median age: 81; range: 79–83.8) were included. The 30-day complication rate was 73%, and 49% of the patients had experienced a major complication, according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. The 30-day mortality rate was 4%. None of the geriatric, oncological, or laboratory parameters were significantly associated with the occurrence or severity of complications. The median (interquartile range) LOS was 18 days (15–23) overall and was longer in patients with complications (19 days vs. 15 days in those without complications; p = 0.013). Thirty days after cystectomy, 25 patients (53%) had been discharged to home and 22 (47%) were still in a rehabilitation unit. In a univariate analysis, a Geriatric-8 score ≤ 14, a loss of one point on the Activities of Daily Living Scale, anemia, at least one grade ≥ 3 comorbidity on the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric, and an inpatient geriatric assessment were associated with a risk of not being discharged to home. In older patients having undergone a geriatric assessment, radical cystectomy is associated with a high complication rate, a longer LOS, and functional decline at 30 days