Key clinical point: Patients with stage III early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) experienced more frequent disease recurrence and cancer-specific mortality than patients with late-onset CRC (LO-CRC), suggesting more aggressive disease biology .
Major finding : Despite a higher likelihood of receiving more aggressive treatment and completing planned 6-month therapy duration ( P < .001), patients with stage III EO-CRC vs LO-CRC had a significantly lower 3-year relapse-free rate (hazard ratio [HR], 1.21; P = .003) and higher 5-year cancer-specific mortality rate (HR, 1.20; P = .03).
Study details: This was a pooled analysis of 16,349 patients with CRC from 6 clinical trials of adjuvant chemotherapy including 1,564 patients with EO-CRC and 14,785 with LO-CRC.
Disclosures: This study was supported by European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Japanese Foundation for Multidisciplinary Treatment of Cancer, and others. The authors declared receiving honoraria, research funding, consulting or advisory role, travel, accommodation expenses, stock, and other ownership interests from various sources.
Source: Fontana E et al. J Clin Oncol. 2021 Nov 9. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.02008 .