[Altered pharmacokinetics in old age: consequences for cytostatic therapy]

The alterations in pharmacokinetics in the elderly are discussed in general terms. It is stressed, that the patient population becomes more heterogeneous with advancing age. Clinically applicable methods to calculate an adapted dosage in the elderly for drugs with a narrow safety margin exist regarding agents excreted mainly by the renal route. For the use of cytostatics in the elderly specific pharmacokinetic guiding data are hardly available. Therefore this therapy in the aged bears an increased risk of side effects due to the toxicity of these drugs as well as the chance of ineffectivity when a too drastic dose reduction is made.