Adjuvant Chemotherapy in the Elderly: Whom to Treat, What Regimen?

CME Activity Information
Release Date:	March 20, 2006
Most Recent Review:	May 8, 2007*
Most Recent Update:	March 20, 2006
Date Credit Expires:	March 20, 2008
Time to Complete:	1 hour
Medium:	Internet Online
*Click here to learn more about our review process.

Instructions for Participation

1. Read the following information before beginning the educational activity and click the "Take this course" link at the bottom of the page
2. Study the educational activity
3. Complete the CME quiz and evaluation
4. After successful completion of the CME quiz and evaluation, you will receive the credit or participation certificate

   *The CME quiz and evaluation must be completed by March 20, 2008, in order to receive the credit or participation certificate.

1. Describe several methods for assessing a patient's comorbidity and functional status prior to adjuvant chemotherapy.
2. Discuss methods of relapse and mortality risk assessment in the elderly population and explain how adjuvant treatment affects risk.
3. Identify adjuvant chemotherapy regimens that have been shown to be beneficial in the elderly population for treating breast, colon, and lung cancer.

All information is submitted and reviewed and found to be scientifically rigorous, based on the best available evidence, fair and balanced, and free of commercial bias. All the recommendations involving clinical medicine in this CME activity are based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients. All scientific research referred to, reported or used in CME in support or justification of a patient care recommendation conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis.

Any potential conflicts of interests are resolved via The Oncologist's anonymous peer review process: http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/misc/ifora.shtml. All manuscripts are reviewed by the Editorial Board with ad hoc assistance from two or more external experts in the field. All final publication decisions are made by the Editorial Board. The acceptance of a manuscript is based on its originality and importance to the field as assessed by the Editors.

Credentials: Hematology/Oncology Unit, University of Vermont, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont, USA. Telephone: 802-847-3827; Fax: 802-847-3510; E-mail: Susan.Burdette-Radoux{at}vtmednet.org.
Disclosures: The author has indicated that they discuss the unlabeled, investigational, or alternative use(s) of Roche's capecitabine for the adjuvant treatment of breast and colon cancer, Bensia and Dermik's 5-fluorouracil for the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer and Tuoxin's uracil-tegafur, Bristol-Myers Squibb's carboplatin, Baxter, Mylan, Abbott, and Immunex's etoposide, GlaxoSmithKline's vinorelbine, Lilly's vindesine, and Quad, Lilly, Adria, and Fujisawa's vinblastine for the adjuvant treatment of lung cancer. The author has also indicated that she has received support from sanofi-aventis and has financial interest in Bristol-Myers Squibb. In addition the author has received research grants from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, sanofi-aventis, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, and Novartis.

Credentials: Hematology/Oncology Unit, University of Vermont, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont, USA.
Disclosures: The author has indicated that they discuss the unlabeled, investigational, or alternative use(s) of Roche's capecitabine for the adjuvant treatment of breast and colon cancer, Bensia and Dermik's 5-fluorouracil for the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer and Tuoxin's uracil-tegafur, Bristol-Myers Squibb's carboplatin, Baxter, Mylan, Abbott, and Immunex's etoposide, GlaxoSmithKline's vinorelbine, Lilly's vindesine, and Quad, Lilly, Adria, and Fujisawa's vinblastine for the adjuvant treatment of lung cancer.