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Jennifer Lund, PhD, MPSH University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “Evaluating heterogeneity of cancer treatment benefits among older adults” The majority of patients diagnosed with colon cancer are over 65 years old, and this number is expected to grow over the coming years. At colon cancer diagnosis, older adults have more chronic conditions and functional disabilities than younger patients, which can complicate their cancer treatment decision-making. Unfortunately, older colon cancer patients tend to be underrepresented in clinical trials, therefore little is known about which cancer treatments are most effective and safe for this complex patient population. This study will use a large dataset from the National Cancer Institute that collects information about older Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with cancer across the United States. This research study of over 5,000 colon cancer patients diagnosed over the age of 65 years old will describe trends in the use of two approved chemotherapy treatments and compare whether a newer treatment is better at extending survival and preventing adverse treatment events than an older treatment, both overall and within smaller groups of patients who are similar with respect to their chronic condition and functional disability profile. Results from this research study will provide older colon cancer patients and their physicians with information about the benefits and harms of the two available chemotherapy treatments that can be used to make personalized decisions about colon cancer treatment.