Treatment interruption and discontinuation in radiotherapy for rectal cancer.
Radiotherapy with chemotherapy for rectal cancer reduces local recurrence risk. Of 113 patients (59 male, 54 female) undergoing treatment at New York Presbyterian Hospital, 1998-2007, 6 discontinued radiotherapy; all were female. Females were also more likely to have a treatment interruption (35% vs 12%, p = .004). Other factors associated with treatment interruption included adjuvant versus neoadjuvant therapy (OR 14.08, 95%CI 1.55-127.87), use of capecitabine versus 5-fluorouracil (OR 75.90, 95%CI 3.33->999), and development of any adverse event (OR 20.66, 95%CI 1.76-242.12). While radiotherapy discontinuation was uncommon in our cohort, for unknown reasons, females were more likely to discontinue or interrupt treatment.
Lebwohl
Benjamin
B
Departments of Medicine,1 and Radiation Oncology,2 Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA.
Ballas
Leslie
L
Cao
Yin
Y
Chan
Galant
G
Grossman
Reuven
R
Sherr
David L
DL
Woodhouse
Shermian
S
Neugut
Alfred I
AI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012727:Sex Characteristics