Early- versus late-onset gastroesophageal cancer: real-world outcomes from a 13-year central European cohort study
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Gastric Cancer |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10120-026-01724-z |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10120-026-01724-z |
| Keywords | Gastric cancer; Esophageal cancer; Europe; Adult; Treatment outcome |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Background Gastroesophageal cancer presents variably across different age groups, with early-onset (EO) cases showing distinct pathological and clinical characteristics compared to late-onset (LO) disease. This study aims to delineate these differences and assess treatment outcomes in a Central European population. Methods Data from patients diagnosed with gastroesophageal carcinoma and treated between 2010 and 2022, at a high-volume comprehensive cancer center representing approximately 5% of all national gastroesophageal cancer cases in the Czech Republic, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were categorized into EO (< 50 years) and LO (? 50 years) groups. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared in the entire cohort, while treatment patterns and survival outcomes were evaluated in patients with adenocarcinoma. Results A total of 1,377 patients were included, with 161 (11.7%) classified as EO. EO patients are more frequently present with ECOG performance status 0 (42%), lower BMI, current smoking (44%), gastric cancer primaries (63%), and aggressive tumor characteristics such as poorly cohesive adenocarcinoma subtype (45%) and metastatic disease (55%). Hereditary cancer syndrome was confirmed in 4.3% of EO cases. Among adenocarcinoma patients, triplet chemotherapy was more frequently used in the EO group (29% vs. 11%, p < 0.001) in the first-line setting. However, no significant survival benefit was observed in inoperable or metastatic disease (median overall survival 9.1 vs. 9.6 months in EO and LO, respectively, p = 0.913). Conclusions EO gastroesophageal cancer in the Central European population is associated with distinct clinicopathological characteristics, with no significant impact on survival. |
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