Age No Excuse Not to Treat Lung Cancer, Even in 'Oldest Old'

Many patients aged 90 years or older who have non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are not offered any treatment at all, even though treatment improves survival odds substantially, especially surgery for earlier-stage disease, say researchers reporting a nationwide retrospective analysis.

"It is unclear why patients are not receiving therapy, but we speculate that ageism may be a factor," lead author Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD, Stanford University Medical Center, California, said in a statement.