Efficacy, Safety, and Overall Quality of Life of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Early Colorectal Cancer in Elderly Patients

What Should We Recommend for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Adults Aged 75 and Older?

The current recommendation to stop colorectal cancer screening for older adults is based on a lack of evidence due to systematic exclusion of this population from trials. Older adults are a heterogenous population with many available strategies for patient-centered assessment and decision-making. Evolutions in management strategies for colorectal cancer have made safe and effective options available to older adults, and the rationale to screen for treatable disease more reasonably, especially given the aging Canadian population. In this commentary, we review the current screening guidelines and the evidence upon which they were built, the unique considerations for screening older adults, new treatment options, the risks and benefits of increased screening and potential considerations for the new guidelines.

Investigating the Effect of Self-Care Training on Life Expectancy and Quality of Life in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer under Radiotherapy

Objective:

A huge amount of the efforts made by health teams is dedicated to caring for cancer patients. This study has aimed to investigate the effect of self-care training on life expectancy and quality of life (QOL) in patients with gastrointestinal cancer who were under radiotherapy.

Methods:

In this clinical trial, 50 patients were selected using the block randomization method. The intervention was performed at Ayatollah Khansari Hospital in Arak, Iran. The patients in the intervention group received three sessions of face-to-face training. The data collection tools included Schneider's Life Expectancy Questionnaire and EORTC QOLQ-C30. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23.

Results:

In the control group, 16 were male (64%) and 9 female (36%), and in the intervention group, 14 were male (56%) and 11 were female (44%). Before the intervention, the two groups were homogenous regarding all variables. After the intervention, the mean of QOL was 67 ± 22.62 in the intervention group and 56 ± 18.55 in the control group (P < 0.05). In examining the different dimensions of QOL, improvement in all functional dimensions was observed in the intervention group. After the intervention, the mean score of life expectancy showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the intervention group (39.52 ± 5.26) and the control group (31.6 ± 7.13).

Conclusions:

It was found that self-care training improved the QOL and life expectancy of patients with gastrointestinal cancer who were under radiotherapy. Therefore, self-care training is recommended to improve the QOL and the life expectancy of cancer patients.

Treatment of Elderly Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. As society ages, the number of elderly patients with CRC will increase. The percentage of patients with right-sided colon cancer and the incidence of microsatellite instability are higher in elderly than in younger patients with CRC. Moreover, the higher incidence of comorbid diseases in elderly patients indicates the need for less invasive treatment strategies. For example, care should be taken in performing additional surgery after endoscopic submucosal dissection for elderly patients with high-risk T1 CRC. Minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic colectomy, would be preferable for elderly patients with CRC. Chemotherapy for elderly patients requires careful monitoring for adverse events. The aim of this review is to summarize the clinicopathological features of CRC in elderly patients, optical surgical strategies, including endoscopic and laparoscopic resection, and chemotherapeutic strategies, including postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and systemic chemotherapy for unresectable CRC.