[Retrospective Analysis of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Elderly Patients with Stage Ⅲ Colorectal Cancer]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant chemotherapy(AC)in elderly patients with Stage Ⅲ colorectal cancer(CRC).

Methods: We performed a single-institutional retrospective analysis of 84 patients aged≥75 years with Stage Ⅲ CRC who underwent curative resection from August 2009 to February 2018.

Results: Thirty-seven(44.0%) patients received AC. Eleven(29.7%)patients required dose reduction at the start of AC. Twenty-three(62.2%)patients accomplished AC, and 13(35.1%)needed dose reduction during AC. Although toxicities of Grade 3 or higher occurred in 56.8% of patients, they were controllable. The 3-year recurrence-free survival rate was significantly better in the AC group than in the non-AC group(70.3% versus 50.5%, respectively; p=0.011). The prognosis tended to be worse in the group that started AC with dose reduction than in the group with the normal dose.

Conclusion: AC is effective and well tolerated in elderly patients with Stage Ⅲ CRC. When reducing the initial dose, the need for dose reduction should be carefully considered.