(Cancer in old age - is it inadequately investigated and treated?)
Ageism in healthcare staff, lack of awareness of treatments available and beliefs or fears of patients and their families about cancer and its treatment, may all contribute to the fact that older patients do not receive the same cancer care as younger people. So say Dr Nicola Turner and colleagues from St James's University Hospital, Leeds in this week's BMJ.
Although more than a third of cancers are diagnosed in people aged over 75 years of age, this group is less extensively investigated and receives less treatment than younger patients, say the authors. They say that this need not be the case as some elderly people can tolerate chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy just as well as younger patients. A 75 year old men and women have life expectancies of 8.5 and 11.1 years respectively and this shouldn't be overlooked by patients or healthcare staff.
The team conclude that we cannot blame the disparity of treatment of cancer between old and young on older people being frail or suffering from additional conditions. They say that we must now ascertain which investigations and treatments are effective and acceptable to older people and, in particular, find the answers on how to manage common cancers in old age.
Contact:
Dr Nicola Turner, Specialist Registrar, Department of Medicine for the Elderly, St James's University Hospital, Leeds nicola_turner@talk21.com