Oncology ·
CARG Score Associated With Perioperative Chemotherapy Completion in Pancreatic Cancer
A retrospective cohort study of 122 patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer examined perioperative chemotherapy completion and overall survival. Higher CARG scores were associated with lower odds of completing chemotherapy, while completion was associated with longer survival in a landmark analysis.
- 52 of 122 patients completed perioperative chemotherapy.
- Completion was associated with longer survival at landmark analysis.
- High CARG score predicted lower odds of treatment completion.
Researchers retrospectively reviewed 122 patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer who started neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2019 and 2023, irrespective of whether they underwent surgery. Perioperative chemotherapy completion was defined as relative total dose intensity of at least 80% during neoadjuvant treatment and at least 65% during adjuvant treatment. The study assessed overall survival and clinical predictors of treatment completion.
Fifty-two patients (42.6%) met the completion definition. Among 102 patients who reached the prespecified landmark of surgery plus 34 weeks, estimated five-year overall survival was 42.8% among those completing treatment and 29.8% among those who did not (log-rank P=0.022). Non-completion was independently associated with worse survival (hazard ratio 2.708; P=0.008). A high CARG score was independently associated with lower odds of completion (odds ratio 0.204; P=0.021).
The findings suggest the CARG score may help identify patients at risk of not completing perioperative chemotherapy. Because the study was retrospective and shows associations, it does not establish that completing chemotherapy causes longer survival or that CARG-guided interventions improve completion or outcomes.
In practice
In patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer starting neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a high CARG score was associated with lower odds of completing the study’s defined perioperative chemotherapy course. This may help flag patients at risk of non-completion, but the retrospective findings do not show that using the score to guide care or supportive interventions improves treatment completion. Completion was associated with longer survival in a landmark analysis; this does not establish a causal survival benefit.
AI-generated clinical interpretation · Not editor-reviewed
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Annals of Surgical Oncology: CARG Score Predicts Perioperative Chemotherapy Completion in Pancreatic Cancer: Association of Completion with Overall Survival ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.