The management of elderly patients with lung cancer: a single center retrospective study

The incidence of lung cancer in patients aged over 80 years accounts for 30% of the entire lung cancer population. However, the emphasis on the treatment and prognosis of this subpopulation remains poorly investigated. This study evaluated outcomes associated with treatment strategies for these patients.

A retrospective analysis was performed on the overall survival and treatment of deceased patients over 80 years of age, diagnosed with lung cancer in our hospital. Treatment and overall survival were evaluated using logistic regression, the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models.

A total of 56 patients were included in this study, with 30 (53.6%) patients diagnosed with stage IV at the time of detection. One-third of the patients refused any form of treatment. The majority (n=27, 48.2%) of the included patients with stage I-IV lung cancer received chemotherapy or tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The median overall survival was determined to be 9.067±1.2477 months, with the median survival time of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients calculated as 7.167±3.797 months for the entire cohort. The majority of patients exhibited lesions in the left upper lung and displayed the longest overall survival. For the over 80 yrs with lunch cancer patients, that who chose not to receive any treatment exhibited a shorter overall survival than those who received treatment.

Most patients in this study presented with advanced disease. Treatment-naïve patients exhibited a poorer prognosis compared to their counterparts who received treatment, highlighting the need for this subpopulation to access further treatment.