Challenges to delivery and effectiveness of adjuvant radiation therapy in elderly patients with node-positive vulvar cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) use, patterns of RT delivery, and clinical outcomes in older patients with node-positive vulvar cancer.

Methods

Using SEER-Medicare linked data, we identified 444 patients (age≥66years) with node-positive squamous cell vulvar carcinoma, without distant metastases, and treated with primary surgery between 1991 and 2009. We used claims to examine RT use and the following delivery metrics: 1) completion of ≥20 fractions, 2) treatment duration <8weeks, 3) <1week of intra-treatment break, and 4) treatment interval from surgery to start of RT <8weeks. We tested associations between RT use and metrics with overall (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) using multivariate proportional hazards regression.

Results

Median age

SUBMITTER: Swanick CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5896777 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature