Management of Elderly and Old Cancer Patients – Geriatric Oncology

Abstract

the population and the relatively high frequency of cancer in this age group, patients 65 years of age or older are significantly underrepresented in trials of cancer treatments. 18 There is limited information concerning the efficacy, tolerability, and toxicity of cancer therapies in senior adults, although the literature indicates that this trend is slowly changing. 19

Recent Developments in Treatment of Older Patients with Breast Cancer

“…[1][2][3][4][5] As a result, there is a growing need for geriatric screening tools and assessments that evaluate a patient's fitness and frailty status, providing a comprehensive portrait of a patient and helping in the development of an optimized treatment plan. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Unfortunately, older patients (aged ≥65 years) are currently underrepresented in clinical trials, leading to a gap in the published data and the lack of clinical guidelines specifically tailored to this patient population. This disparity is particularly pronounced in the very elderly population (aged ≥75 years), where the proportion of patients participating in clinical trials may be as low as 0−2%.…”