Medically complex patients with superficial disease have reduced deaths with treatment vs. observation
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Cancer treatment is associated with a clinically meaningful survival benefit in older, medically complex patients with superficial bladder cancer (SBC), according to a study published online Oct. 5 in Cancer.
Tullika Garg, M.D., M.P.H., from Geisinger in Danville, Pa., and colleagues evaluated the association between treatment of SBC and 10-year mortality in 1,800 medically complex patients aged ≥60 years.
Overall, 1,485 patients (82.5 percent) received treatment and 315 patients (17.5 percent) underwent observation. The researchers found that treatment was associated with a 30 percent reduction in death, while having multiple complex conditions (MCC) was associated with a 72 percent increase in death in unweighted multivariable analysis. There was also a survival benefit for treatment in weighted analysis with adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.66).
“These data provide a foundation for future work aimed at personalizing the treatment guidance of older patients with cancer with MCC,” the authors write.
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