Efficacy of bolus and infusional 5-FU in elderly and non-elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer - a pooled analysis of clinical trials

8045 Background: Recently published population-based investigations showed elderly patients to be underrepresented in clinical trials and less often treated according the standard therapy, although they benefit to the same extent from adjuvant (radio-) chemotherapy as younger patients. No large series describes the influence of age on efficacy of chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. Methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis using source data of 3,825 patients who received 5-FU containing treatment in 22 European trials and identified 629 patients with an age of ≥ 70 years. Results: An equal overall survival was observed in elderly patients (10.8 months, 95 % CI 9.7–11.8) and in younger patients (11.3 months, 95 % CI 10.9–11.7, p = .31). Response rate did not differ between the age groups ≥ 70 and < 70 years (20.8 % and 17.6 %, p = .14). Progression free survival was marginally prolonged in elderly patients (5.5 months, 95 % CI 5.2–5.8 and 5.3 months, 95 % CI 5.1–5.5, p = .01). In both age ...