Treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly.

Treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2018 Aug 09;: Authors: Sacco PC, Maione P, Palazzolo G, Gridelli C Abstract INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is predominantly a disease that affects the elderly; about 30-40% of lung cancers are diagnosed in patients aged 70 or more. The increasing number of elderly patients over the next decades is generating a new social and health problem; despite that, these patients are under-represented in clinical trials and under-treated in clinical practice. Areas covered: The main difficulty in treating elderly patients is to maximize the therapy benefits while minimizing the treatment risk. Elderly patients show a vulnerable clinical profile due to the higher prevalence of comorbid disease, higher polypharmacy interactions and aged organ dysfunction that increase the risk of mortality and toxicity with cancer treatments compared to younger patients. Expert commentary: The choice to treat or not to treat elderly patients cannot be taken only on the basis of the chronological age. Thus, the clinical approach should be to select patients who are effectively suitable for treatment having a better individual functional reserve and a better life expectancy. Elderly patients are a heterogeneous population and those who are fit to receive cancer treatment can be treated similarly to younger patients. PMID: 30092728 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: Expert Rev Respir Med Source Type: research