American Society of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, 15_suppl(37), p. 3563-3563, 2019
DOI: 10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.3563
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3563 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence in patients younger than 50 years of age is steadily rising by 2% annually. Early-onset CRC usually presents with more aggressive features; however, data on prognosis are widely conflicting. Clinicians may hold an age-related bias in treating younger patients, but this proclivity and its effects have not been quantified. Methods: Patients with a history of metastatic CRC who consented to a departmental chart review protocol were collected between 2014 and 2018 at Massachusetts General Hospital. The cohort was divided into two groups based on age at initial diagnosis: < 50 and ≥50. Data were gathered on treatments and clinicopathological features. A log-rank test compared survival from the diagnosis of metastatic disease between age groups. The distributions of clinicopathological features were compared using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Results: 464 metastatic CRC patients were identified. 155 patients (33%) were < 50 (median age 43, 49% female) and 309 patients (67%) were ≥50 (median age 61, 45% female). Sex did not significantly differ between the two groups (p = 0.45). Patients < 50 received more lines of therapy after metastatic diagnosis than patients ≥50 (mean 2.7 v. 2.2; p = 0.002). Younger patients also received more resections of distant metastases (mean 0.62 v. 0.48; p = 0.01). A higher rate of enrollment in clinical trials for patients < 50 approached significance (p = 0.06). Even so, patients < 50 did not see a significant survival benefit over older patients (2/5-year survival from metastatic diagnosis 77%/47% v. 73%/38%, p = 0.23). Patients < 50 had a lower proportion of right-sided tumors (p = 0.0002) and BRAF mutations (p = 0.0009). There was no difference in MSI status (p = 0.28), RAS mutational status (p = 0.40), mucinous features (p = 0.53), or signet ring features (p = 0.26). Conclusions: Overall survival in patients < 50 is similar to patients ≥50, despite patients < 50 receiving more aggressive therapy. Further study is warranted to better understand these differences. Potential areas of interest include performance status, age-related treatment bias, and biological factors.