A study has found that elderly patients aged 70 and older with stage 3 lung cancer can complete standard treatment, suggesting that hesitation or отказ from treatment should be avoided.
A research team led by Prof. Kim Jung-hyun of the pulmonology department at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital said on the 20th that this was confirmed through an analysis of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in 131 patients with unresectable stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer.
The team analyzed patients treated between 2012 and 2023 at four hospitals under the Hallym University Medical Center, comparing outcomes between 47 patients aged 70 and older and 84 younger patients.
The results showed that overall treatment outcomes were similar between the elderly and younger groups.
The treatment completion rate — the proportion of patients who completed concurrent chemoradiotherapy as initially planned — was 89.4% in the elderly group and 90.5% in the younger group, showing little difference.
The median progression-free survival, which refers to the period during which the cancer does not progress, was 9.9 months in the elderly group and 12.9 months in the younger group, with no statistically significant difference.
Multivariate analysis adjusting for factors such as sex, smoking status, performance status, comorbidities and disease stage also found no significant differences between the two groups.
There were no clear age-related differences in side effects. The incidence of esophagitis of all grades was 8.5% in the elderly group and 20.2% in the younger group, lower among older patients.
The incidence of radiation pneumonitis, indicating lung tissue damage, was 21.3% in the elderly group and 27.4% in the younger group, showing similar levels.
The incidence of neutropenia, indicating weakened immunity, was also comparable at 19.1% in the elderly group and 15.5% in the younger group.
The research team particularly noted the high treatment completion rate among elderly patients, as completing standard treatment is a key prerequisite for extending survival and improving outcomes.
The findings challenge the conventional notion that treatment should be abandoned due to age and suggest that active standard treatment is a viable option even for patients in their 70s.
Prof. Kim said, “With recent advances in anticancer drugs, radiation technology and supportive care, active treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can be considered if the patient’s overall condition is good.”
He added, “Before deciding on treatment, it is important to conduct a comprehensive geriatric assessment — including physical and cognitive function, comorbidities and medication use — and establish a treatment strategy tailored to the individual patient.”
The study was published in the international journal Journal of Thoracic Disease.