Treatment of Elderly Patients Affected by Lung Cancer: Why to Treat, when to Treat and what we Know

Alessandra      Bearz; Massimiliano      Berretta; Arben      Lleshi; Eleonora      Berto; Umberto      Tirelli

doi:10.2174/18715206113136660353

Abstract

In the recent years many advances have been achieved in the field of the treatment of lung cancer; with the development of novel therapeutic pathways due to the knowledge of oncologic drivers involved in the carcinogenesis of the lung, as well as the involvement of new radiotherapic and surgical techniques. Nevertheless, the standard treatment for elderly is still debated, mainly because of an underrepresentation of elderly patients in clinical trials. Herein we try to summarize the main guidelines for the treatment of lung cancer, with particular attention for the elderly patients, what we know and what has changed.

Keywords: Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, elderly patients, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, adjuvant treatment, locally advanced nsclc, metastatic lung cancer, clinical trials, multimodality treatment, cutoff point, geriatric oncology, comprehensive geriatric assessment.