Abstract
The surgical treatment of colon cancer in elderly patients (aged 70 years or older) has improved, but data on adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy tolerability and benefits in this growing population remain scarce. Elderly patients are under-represented in clinical trials and results for older patients are seldom reported separately. However, elderly patients with good performance status tolerate adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy for colon cancer as well as their younger patients, and have similar benefits from palliative chemotherapy. This article examines the factors pertinent to the small number of trials designed for colon cancer in this group of persons.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Catia Bassi for help in the preparation of this manuscript.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
Notes
Geriatric functional assessment is useful to define fit, frail and vulnerable patients more accurately, according to some specific scores.