JCO oncology practice
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JCO oncology practice · Oct 2021
First-Line Palliative Chemotherapy for Esophageal and Gastric Cancer: Practice Patterns and Outcomes in the General Population.
Clinical trials have shown that palliative chemotherapy (PC) improves survival in patients with incurable esophageal and gastric cancer; however, outcomes achieved in routine practice are unknown. We describe treatment patterns and outcomes among patients treated in the general population of Ontario, Canada. ⋯ One fifth of patients with incurable esophageal and gastric cancer in the general population receive PC. Median survival of patients treated in routine practice is inferior to that in clinical trials. Only one third of patients not treated with PC had consultation with a medical oncologist. Further work is necessary to understand low utilization of PC and medical oncology consultation in this patient population.