Treatment of the elderly patient with small-cell lung cancer

The population of the United States is gradually aging. Within a generation, over 20 percent of the population will be >65 years of age. Since cancer is a disease of older persons, the incidence of malignancies of all types is expected to increase during the coming decades. In general, since older patients appear to tolerate chemotherapy less well than their younger counterparts, strategies that lessen toxicity and yet maintain efficacy are desperately needed. Recently, the use of single-agent oral etoposide has been shown to be an effective palliative therapy for older patients with small- cell lung cancer. Future studies will need to focus on the unique requirements of older patients in order to improve therapy in these individuals.