Retrospective cohort study of impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival of older patients after resection of biliary tract cancer

The association of adjuvant chemotherapy with survival of patients with resected biliary tract cancer (BTC) is controversial. A retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database investigated the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival of older patients (aged ≥ 70 years) after resection of BTC. The study included 8091 patients (63.5% women) with 32.5% receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, and 67.5% being observed. The figure shows that adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with improved survival. The authors conclude that these findings suggest the need for further study of adjuvant chemotherapy for older patients who may benefit after curative intent surgery.