Findings of IDEA Collaboration Have Influenced Prescribing Patterns

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Changes in prescribing patterns for resected stage III colon cancer have been observed since the abstract presentation of the IDEA collaboration in June 2017, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Fang-Shu Ou, Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues examined the impact of results of the IDEA collaboration, which aimed to evaluate whether three months of adjuvant chemotherapy was noninferior to six months for patients with resected stage III colon cancer. The primary end point was not met, but subgroup analyses demonstrated noninferiority in a risk-stratified approach. Prescribing patterns were examined prior to presentation of the abstract in June 2017 and after manuscript publication in March 2018. The analysis included 399 patients with stage III colon cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy.

The researchers observed a significant increasing trend for use of three months of adjuvant chemotherapy after presentation of the IDEA abstract. There was also a significant change in capecitabine/oxaliplatin (CAPOX) prescribing from 14 to 48 percent of patients prior to abstract presentation and after presentation. Over time, there was a steady increase in three months of CAPOX use compared with six months of fluorouracil/leucovorin/oxaliplatin (adjusted odds ratio, 1.28). No differences in adoption of CAPOX were observed among subgroups of interest. Similar adoption of three months of CAPOX was seen with low- and high-risk cancer (adjusted odds ratios, 1.27 and 1.31, respectively).

"The findings have influenced practice prescribing patterns, favoring CAPOX and a shorter duration of planned adjuvant treatment," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text