125 Background: Long-term central venous catheters (CVCs) facilitate venous access to administer intravenous fluids and treatments such as chemotherapy. However, CVCs can also be a source of harmful bloodstream infections, a risk that may be underappreciated. Our objective was to assess the impact of long-term CVC use on the risk of infections in a population-based cohort of cancer patients. Methods: Retrospective analysis using the population-based SEER-Medicare dataset for patients over age 65, diagnosed from 2005 to 2007 with invasive colorectal cancer (n = 36,272), head and neck cancers (n = 8,459), lung cancer (n = 56,770), pancreatic cancer (n = 10,536), or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 14,432), or invasive or non-invasive breast cancer (n = 42,271). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the impact of CVC use on infection risk, with CVC exposure treated as a time-varying predictor. We used multivariable analysis and propensity score methods to control for patient characteristics. Results: Adjusting for demographic and disease characteristics, long-term CVCs significantly increased the risk of infection by at least 40%, across all cancer types (Table). The greatest effect of CVCs on infection risk was in patients with breast cancer. Conclusions: Long-term CVC use is associated with an increased risk of infections for older adults with cancer. Careful assessment of the need for long-term CVCs, and targeted strategies to reduce infections for patients requiring their use, are critical to improving cancer care quality. [Table: see text]
Safety and Efficacy of Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in Adjuvant Treatment of Breast Cancer