Aim
To predict chemotherapy toxicity and hospitalisations in elderly patients using clinical and laboratory parameters.
Methods
Records of cancer patients 70 years old or older who received adjuvant chemotherapy or first‐line chemotherapy for a cancer in a single centre were reviewed. Factors associated with hospitalisations, grade 3–4 toxicities and dose reductions during treatment were evaluated.
Results
A total of 275 patients included in the study. Most patients (53.8%) were 70 to 75 years old. One hundred and five patients (38.2%) had a hospital admission during or within a month after their chemotherapy treatment. The only factor associated with admissions in the multivariate analysis was ECOG performance status (PS) >1 (p = .008, odds ratio 2.66, 95% CI: 1.28–5.53) and hypoalbuminaemia approached significance. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were associated with a lower creatinine clearance in the multivariate analysis (p = .01, odds ratio 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97–1.0), and dose reductions were associated with metastatic stage (p = .03, odds ratio 1.88, 95% CI: 1.05–3.35). A combined index with all four parameters was associated with all three outcomes of interest.
Conclusion
ECOG PS, stage, albumin and creatinine clearance may be predictive of hospital admissions, grade 3–4 toxicities and dose reduction rates in cancer patients 70 years old and older receiving chemotherapy.