Open AccessManagement of Lung Cancer in Older Adults
Author(s) -
Hurria Arti,
Kris Mark G.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
ca: a cancer journal for clinicians
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 62.937
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1542-4863
pISSN - 0007-9235
DOI - 10.3322/canjclin.53.6.325
Subject(s) - medicine , lung cancer , cancer , disease , radiation therapy , oncology , population , lung , stage (stratigraphy) , intensive care medicine , surgery , paleontology , environmental health , biology
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. At the time of diagnosis, most patients are older than 65 years and have Stage III or IV disease. More than 80% of patients have non‐small cell lung cancer and the rest have small cell lung cancer. Age is not a significant prognostic factor for overall survival and response to treatment for patients with either type of lung cancer. Treatment options should be tailored to older patients based on the same selection process and benefits seen in the population as a whole. This article reviews the available data regarding surgery, radiation, and systemic treatment for older patients with lung cancer and considers the role of geriatric assessment in the evaluation of older patients.