title: Comparative outcomes of elderly and non-elderly patients receiving first-line palliative chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few studies have reported the efficacy and safety of palliative chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. We aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of palliative chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer in elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated 403 consecutive patients who received palliative chemotherapy between April 2006 and March 2009 for pathologically confirmed unresectable or recurrent biliary tract cancer. Clinical outcomes of the elderly group (≥ 75 years old; n = 94) were compared with those of the non-elderly group (< 75 years old; n = 309).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Except for the extent of disease, patient baseline characteristics were well balanced between both groups. The median overall survival was 10.4 months in the elderly group and 11.5 months in the non-elderly group (hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.45; P = 0.31). Although the frequency of adverse events between both groups was similar, interstitial pneumonitis was significantly more frequent in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group (4.3% vs 0%, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In advanced biliary tract cancer, overall survival of elderly patients receiving palliative chemotherapy is comparable with that of non-elderly patients. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest studies that have reported the clinical outcomes of elderly patients following palliative chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Digestive Disease Center, The Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Kitano Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Tadayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kou
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikezawa
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ajiki
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Hideyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyokawa
authors.forename: Shujiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yazumi
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Terajima
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furuyama
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.forename: Iwao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ikai
authors.forename: Nobukazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Awane
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Shigekazu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takemura
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kume
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taira
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ioka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D005641:Tegafur / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014498:Uracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D005641:Tegafur; D014498:Uracil; D002945:Cisplatin; D000093542:Gemcitabine
keywords: biliary tract cancer; chemotherapy; elderly patient