A Gerontologist's Perspective on Cancer Biology and Treatment

Cancer is largely a disease of older people, and mortality in the United States is increasing. Change in immune surveillance is not the only explanation for these phenomena. Time and specific age-related changes in tissues are other important factors. Some tumors in the elderly are biologically less aggressive in both animal tumor models and in humans. The need for more organized laboratory and clinical evaluation of the causes and effects of cancer in the aged is now being recognized.