[Treatment of elderly cancer patients]

Management of cancer in the elderly differs from that in other age groups only as far as concerns practical issues. The gradual deterioration of somatic and psychologic tolerance capacities is often associated with multiple pathological conditions which may delay diagnosis and hinder the implementation of therapy. Major therapeutic risks are mainly ascribable to chemotherapy which requires strict application of contraindications and close monitoring during treatment. Under these conditions, carefully determined by a thorough workup prior to treatment, the elderly patient, although fragile, can nevertheless benefit from adequate and efficient therapy. Although seemingly aggressive in some instances, this active outlook is preferable to systematic palliative therapy chosen only because of age, often constraining and not always useful or safe. Age in itself is not a reason for systematic abandon when significant results can be obtained without unacceptable risks until an advanced age through well-adjusted measures and continuous attention.