Lung Cancer in the Older Patient

Julie A Barta; Ralph G Zinner; Michael Unger

doi:10.1016/j.cger.2017.06.008

Lung Cancer in the Older Patient

Clin Geriatr Med. 2017 Nov;33(4):563-577. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.06.008. Epub 2017 Aug 19.

Authors

Julie A Barta¹, Ralph G Zinner², Michael Unger³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, 834 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Electronic address: julie.barta@jefferson.edu.
² Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut Street, Suite 320A, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
³ Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, 834 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.

PMID: 28991651
DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.06.008

Abstract

Cancers of the lung and bronchus are the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the United States, and two-thirds of new lung cancer cases are diagnosed in patients over age 65. There are few dedicated clinical trials in the elderly, leading to both undertreatment and overtreatment biases. Even fit older adults experience age-related decline in physiologic reserve, and additional issues of polypharmacy, geriatric syndromes, and inadequate social support are not uncommon, leading to disparities in treatment and survival. This review discusses the challenges in balancing benefits and harms in management of lung cancer in elderly patients.

Keywords: Elderly; Geriatric assessment; Immunotherapy; Lung cancer; Lung cancer screening; Stereotactic body radiation therapy; Surgical resection; Targeted therapy.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Early Detection of Cancer / methods*
Geriatric Assessment / methods
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Lung Neoplasms* / diagnosis
Lung Neoplasms* / therapy
Patient Care Management / methods*