Lung cancer treatment in elderly patients

Abstract

The treatment of an elderly patient with a bronchial carcinoma is a daily challenge for the physician, because of the high incidence of lung carcinoma and a population getting older. The treatment has to be adapted, after geriatric assessment and evaluation of comorbidities, iatrogenic complications being more frequent and more severe in these patients. At the opposite, these patients are to often under-treated. This article will update the therapeutic strategy for non-small cell and small-cell lung carcinoma in the elderly.