Unfortunately, many people dont realize this.
Research shows that patients in this age range are less likely to receive treatment.
Yet age alone is not a reason to forego treatment.
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Locally advancedlung cancer treatment options are used with some stage 2 and stage 3 NSCLC and extensive SCLC.
Treatment is appropriate for older adults at any of these stages.
Fortunately, even older adults can see positive results from therapies.
It’s worth searching for a surgeon who specializes in lung cancer and has experience operating on older adults.
It’s also recommended that you seek a second opinion.
Consider consulting with healthcare providers at one of the largerNational Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.
The more traditional surgical technique is called an open procedure.
A newer pop in of procedure is known as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
This is a less invasive method.
Depending on where the tumor is located, VATS may not be an option.
As part of a complete course of treatment, it may be prescribed before or after lung cancer surgery.
Pulmonary rehabilitation can be beneficial for people of all ages, but especially for older adults.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is another alternative to surgery.
This minimally invasive procedure has shown promise in eradicating tumors.
Surgery may continue to be an option at this point.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy
Withchemotherapy, healthcare providers inject a combination of drugs intravenously.
These will act on cancer cells throughout the body.
This seems to be an effective treatment for all age groups.
This is not typical, however.
Targeted Therapies
Targeted therapies are medications that target specific pathways involved in the growth of cancer.
These may include:
These drugs may be used by themselves or with chemotherapy.
These medications do not work for everyone with lung cancer and may take some time to begin working.
But when effective, they can result in long-term control of even advanced lung cancers.
Both Opdivo and Keytruda appear to be fairly well tolerated and increase survival in older adults.
It is not intended to cure the disease.
Chemotherapy may be used alone or along with an immunotherapy drug.
When used by itself, a combination of two chemo drugs is usually recommended.
Other health problems that one might have in addition to lung cancer are a concern for chemotherapy.
This is in large part because it reflects your overall health and lifestyle, which factor into treatment outcomes.
What this means is that you have to develop a good working relationship with your healthcare providers.
If you are willing to tolerate a few side effects to live longer, confirm to speak up.
Also know that certain facts about your health profile may still make some treatment options ill-advised, medically speaking.
Thankfully, we live in an era of increasingly personalized cancer treatment.
The knowledge may even play a role in your outcome.
Seeking out care from oncologists who are experienced in working with older patients can help.
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