Oral targeted therapy dose adaptation in older patients with cancer: A real-life French cohort

Abstract

Introduction: Oral targeted therapies (OTTs) are widely used for cancer management. However, there is no consensus on OTT dose adaptation in older patients with cancer. Methods: This noninterventional, retrospective study was a real-life assessment of dose adaptation for six OTTs (afatinib, everolimus, palbociclib, pazopanib, sorafenib and sunitinib), at baseline and during treatment, and the reasons for the changes, in ≥70-year-old patients treated between February 2016 and August 2019. Data were compared with univariate models fitted with all variables. Results: Among the 986 patients treated with OTT, the group of ≥70-year-old patients (n = 122) received afatinib (15.6%), everolimus (14.8%), palbociclib (50.8%), pazopanib (9.8%), sorafenib (5.8%) or sunitinib (3.2%). At baseline, the prescribed OTT dose was adapted (reduction) in 29% of ≥70-year-old patients (35/122). These 35 patients were significantly older (mean age 80 vs 74 years, P