Efficacy and tolerability of eribulin in elderly patients

Abstract

Elderly cancer patients represent a very heterogeneous pop ulation not only in chronological age, but also in functional status, concomitant diseases and therapy, geriatric syndromes and, as a consequence, in the tolerability of cancer treatment. The choice of chemotherapy (CT) for metastatic breast cancer in this category of patients is often a challenge for oncologists. Eribulin, a drug with a fairly good tolerance, has proven itself well both in randomized trials and in real clinical practice, including older patient population. Pooled analyzes of several studies have shown that the incidence of hematologic adverse events in elderly patients treated with eribulin does not exceed that in younger patients and does not generally affect the planned volume of treatment. At the same time, the elderly are more likely to experience side effects such as weakness, fatigue and polyneuropathy, which must be taken into account when planning CT. Only a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach with a geriatric assessment will make it possible to maximally individualize the approach to the treatment of this difficult category of patients.