Erlotinib for elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: Subset analysis from a population-based observational study by the Ibaraki Thoracic Integrative (POSITIVE) Research Group

The incidence and mortality of lung cancer have increased worldwide over the last decades, with an observed increased incidence particularly among elderly populations. It has not yet been determined whether erlotinib therapy exhibits the same efficacy and safety in elderly and younger patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this retrospective subgroup analysis of data from a population-based observational study was to assess the efficacy and safety of erlotinib in an elderly (≥75 years, n=74) and a younger group of patients (<75 years, n=233) who received treatment for NSCLC. The time to treatment failure was similar in the elderly [median, 62 days; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 44–80 days] compared with the younger group (median, 46 days; 95% CI: 35–53 days) (P=0.2475). The overall survival did not differ between the elderly and younger groups (median, 170 days; 95% CI: 142–239 days vs. median, 146 days; 95% CI: 114–185 days, respectively) (P=0.7642). The adverse events did not differ in incidence between the groups and were manageable, regardless of age. Among the NSCLC patients receiving erlotinib treatment, the outcomes of the elderly (≥75 years) and younger (<75 years) groups of patients were similar in our population-based observational study.