[Lung cancer in elderly patients]. / Le cancer bronchique chez le sujet âgé

ABSTRACT

Lung cancer occurring in elderly patients is an increasingly frequent clinical problem both because of an aging population and the general increase in incidence of the disease. The management of lung cancer in the elderly represents therefore a significant public health problem. The full range of therapeutic modalities may be used in these patients provided a comprehensive geriatric assessment is made, not limited to performance status assessment, but also taking into account comorbidities, which are frequent in elderly people, and functional capacities. Elderly patients are often managed in a sub-optimal fashion. With appropriate, equal treatment their prognosis is equivalent to that of younger patients.