Do symptoms matter when considering patients for phase I clinical trials?
Older adults (OA) with advanced cancer (AC) undergoing phase I clinical trials (PICT) have poor prognosis. There are no studies which describe symptoms experienced by OA. Retrospective chart review of PICT participants>60 years. OA were compared by age (>65 vs 60-65) and by number of symptoms (>3 vs ≤3). N = 56. Mean age = 67.09; 48.21% female. Median life-expectancy = 5 months (interquartile range = 2-9 months); 80.36% had pain; of those 64% without pain scale. Most did not have interdisciplinary professionals or hospice referrals. Older adults with>3 symptoms had more admissions (37.5% vs 14.29%; P = .0335), complications (46.43% vs 16.07%; P = .0026), and greater decline in functional status (24 participants>3 symptoms vs 8; P = .0173). There were no significant differences comparing OA by age.
Older adults enrolled in PICT with more symptoms may sacrifice QOL for experimental treatment.