How safe is chemotherapy and chemoradiation in elderly patients with small-cell lung cancer?

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 15% of all lung cancers. Approximately 70% of all newly diagnosed patients with SCLC are 60 years of age or older, and more than 30% are even more than 75 years of age [1]. Since smoking is the major risk factor for SCLC, the majority of elderly SCLC patients have serious comorbid conditions besides SCLC, especially smoking-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and other cancers [2,3].

Prognosis for elderly lung cancer patients is worse compared with younger patients. The poorer prognosis for elderly patients might be explained by several factors: an increased risk of mortality due to comorbid conditions; death from cancer due to less aggressive treatment; or death due to complications of treatment.

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