Second primary malignancy among malignant solid tumor survivors aged 85 years and older

The cancer burden in the oldest old has increased rapidly. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of second primary malignancy (SPM) in malignant solid tumor survivors aged 85 years and older utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. A total of 128,466 malignant solid tumor patients had been identified between 2000 and 2011, including 6774 patients who developed a SPM. The overall crude incidence of developing a SPM was 5.3%. Considering death as a competing event, the 3, 5, and 10-year cumulative incidence was 1.9%, 3.2%, and 5.4%, respectively. Relative younger age, male gender, surgery history, local stage and first primary malignancy (FPM) site located in the urinary system were related to higher cumulative incidence. A median time interval of 24.0 months was found between diagnosis of FPM and SPM. The most common SPM site was digestive system, whereas the least common was oral cavity and pharynx. The median overall survival (OS) was 49.0 months, and the median survival after SPM was 13.0 months. Relative older age, male gender and black race were associated with worse OS and survival after SPM, as well as higher hazard ratios of death. In conclusions, this study performed a comprehensive analysis of SPM among malignant solid tumor survivors aged 85 years and older. Additional studies are needed to characterize the specific cancer type of interest.

Automated summary

The study investigated the epidemiology of second primary malignancy (SPM) in malignant solid tumor survivors aged 85 years and older using the SEER database. It found that younger age, male gender, surgery history, local stage, and first primary malignancy (FPM) site located in the urinary system were related to a higher cumulative incidence of SPM. The median time interval between diagnosis of FPM and SPM was 24.0 months, with the most common SPM site being the digestive system.