Impact of socioeconomic status on treatment outcome in patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer in Northern Ireland
e20531 Background: The survival advantage for combination chemotherapy in advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma is well documented. Epirubicin and cisplatin in combination with either 5FU (ECF) or capecitabine (ECX) result in response rates of 35–46% and a median survival of around 9 months in RCT. We report the impact of socioeconomic status on the outcome of ECF and ECX treatment in advanced gastroesophageal cancer patients in Northern Ireland between 2000 and 2007. Methods: All patients with advanced esophageal (O), gastric (G), or esophagogastric junction (OGJ) adenocarcinoma, receiving palliative chemotherapy from January 2000 to August 2007, were identified from our institutional database. Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment details, and clinical outcomes were recorded. Patients receiving chemotherapy in a clinical trial were excluded. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Deprivation was assessed using the patient's home address deprivation index (DPI) (Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2005; May 2005. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. www.nisra.gov.uk ). Results: 274 eligible patients (m=200, f=74, O=114, OGJ=19, G=141) were identified. Median age was 62 years (range 22–83). 172 (62.8%) had ECOG performance status 0 or 1. 231 patients (84.3%) had metastatic disease, 43 (15.7%) had locally advanced disease. 216 (78.8%) patients received ECF and 58 (21.2%) patients received ECX. Overall median survival was 7.3 months. Treatment response and performance status were strong predictors of survival, however disease extent did not influence survival. Median survival was significantly longer in those with DPIs in the upper two quintiles than the lower 3 quintiles (9.5 months vs. 6.8 months, p=0.032). Conclusions: Outcomes achieved with palliative ECF/ECX treatment are similar to the reference clinical trials. Socioeconomic deprivation is significantly associated with reduced survival in this group of patients and is unrelated to disease extent at presentation; however it may be related to nutritional status and comorbidity and requires further investigation. No significant financial relationships to disclose.