Age as a potential predictor of acute side effects during chemoradiotherapy in primary cervical cancer patients

Toxicity during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in cervical cancer patients might limit the chances of receiving an optimal treatment and to be cured. Few studies have shown relationships between acute side effects and patient's age. Here, the association between age and acute side effects such as nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss during CRT was analysed in cervical cancer patients.

This study included 93 patients with primary cervical cancer stage IBI to IVA who received CRT from 2013 to 2019. The frequency of symptoms/toxicity grade was analysed by using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5.0.

Patients ≥ 52 years had a significantly higher frequency of nausea/vomiting and increased grade ≥ 3 toxicity during CRT compared to younger patients (p < 0.001, p = 0.001). Toxicity grade ≥ 3 of nausea/vomiting was associated with increased frequency of weight loss (p = 0.001), reduced ADL (p = 0.001) and dose modifications of both radiotherapy (RT) (p = 0.020) and chemotherapy (CT) (p = 0.030) compared to toxicity grade 2. The frequency of diarrhea (p = 0.015) and weight loss (p = 0.020) was higher in older patients compared to younger.

Older patients have an increased risk of acute side effects as nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss. Age could be useful in predicting acute side effects in primary cervical cancer patients with CRT.