Postoperative Adjuvant Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Stage II Colon Cancer ? A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

Objective: The use of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (POAC) after surgery for patients with stage II colon cancer remains controversial. The current study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of POAC using propensity score (PS) matching analysis based on prognostic factors.Materials: Two hundred and nineteen patients with stage II colon cancer who underwent surgery with curative intent between 1995 and 2005 were enrolled.Methods: PS matching analysis was used to adjust for differences in clinicopathological severity between the patients with and without POAC.Results: Before PS matching analysis significant survival benefits from POAC were not recognized for recurrence-free survival (Hazard ratio=0.76, 95%CI; 0.40-1.45, p=0.41) or cancer-specific survival (Hazard ratio=0.52, 95%CI; 0.22-1.19, p=0.12). After PS matching analysis significant survival benefits from POAC were not recognized for recurrence-free survival (Hazard ratio=0.55, 95%CI; 0.23-1.23, p=0.15) or cancer-specific survival (Hazard ratio=0.46, 95%CI; 0.16-1.18, p=0.11).Conclusion: The one-to-one pair PS matching successfully balanced the clinicopathological factors between the patients with and without POAC. The PS matching analysis demonstrated no significant difference in survival in the patients with stage II colon cancer.