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Elderly denied cancer care By David Wahlberg Older cancer patients aren't
enrolled in studies or given chemotherapy and radiation as much as younger
patients, even though they benefit as much from treatment, new studies
suggest. Patients over 65 are less
likely to be treated despite the fact they are likelier to get cancer, say
the studies, presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American
Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. "We need to explore the
barriers that might exist for older people to receive treatment and
participate in trials," said Dr. Desiree Hao, an oncologist at the
University of Calgary who is taking part in the meeting. Among the findings: • The proportion of
patients over 65 in trials of experimental treatments for leukemia and
lung, colon and pancreatic cancers is about half what it should be,
according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration. The elderly make up 67 percent
of people with lung cancer but only 35 percent of those in clinical
studies, the FDA said. For pancreatic cancer, it's 71 percent and 33
percent. • Chemotherapy is
offered to about 6 percent of women over 75 with breast cancer but to 35
percent of younger women, says a study by the European Institute of
Oncology in Italy. Radiation therapy is proposed to 54 percent of elderly
patients but to 85 percent of younger women. • Older women with
breast cancer benefit as much from the chemotherapy drug tamoxifen as
younger women, said a University of Vermont study. Many doctors
don't realize that chemotherapy can help patients even if it doesn't cure
them, said Dr. Melvin Moore, an oncologist with Georgia Cancer Specialists
in Atlanta. Reducing tumor size or slowing progression can lessen nausea,
pain and loss of appetite. "The downsides of chemotherapy are
well-known, but many patients feel better with it than without it,"
he said. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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