Predictors of toxicity-related hospitalization in four randomized studies of 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer

To evaluate the predictors of toxicity-related hospitalization associated with various chemotherapy regimens among metastatic colorectal cancer patients

This pooled analysis includes patient-level datasets from four randomized clinical studies (NCT00272051; NCT00305188; NCT00115765; NCT00364013). Through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, factors predicting the development of serious adverse events, fatal adverse events, and toxicity-related hospitalizations were determined.

A total of 2533 patients were included in the current study. A total of 1010 patients (39.9%) experienced one or more episodes of serious adverse events. These include 914 patients (36.1%) who were hospitalized at least once and 148 patients (5.8%) who suffered from a fatal adverse event. Within multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age (P < 0.001), higher ECOG score (P < 0.001), bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy (P < 0.001), and panitumumab-containing chemotherapy (P < 0.001) were predictive of hospitalization. Similarly, older age (P < 0.001), higher ECOG score (P < 0.001), and panitumumab-containing chemotherapy (P = 0.003) were predictive of fatal adverse events in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Moreover, in a multivariate Cox regression analysis, hospitalization was predictive of worse overall survival (P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (P < 0.001).

Older age, poorer performance status, and bevacizumab- and panitumumab-containing regimens are associated with a higher risk of hospitalization. Moreover, hospitalization is predictive of worse overall and progression-free survival.