Systemic therapies do not improve survival in patients with very advanced solid tumours near the end of life, according to a US study published in JAMA Oncology.
To find out if those with advanced disease who received systemic treatments, such as immunotherapies, targeted therapies or hormonal therapies had better survival, the researchers analysed records on 78,446 adult cancer patients, average age 67.3 years, treated at 144 US cancer clinics. The patients had metastatic and advanced tumours in six common cancers―breast, colorectal, non-small cell lung, pancreas, kidney and urothelial.
The findings showed no statistically significant survival benefit for patients treated with systemic therapies, compared with those who did not receive such treatments. Also, this was relevant across all the cancer types studied.
“We hope this information can help inform oncologists when they are deciding whether or not to continue treatment or transition patients who have metastatic disease to supportive care,” the study author said.