Toxicity and therapeutic response to chemotherapy in patients aged 70 years or older with advanced cancer.

To evaluate the impact of chemotherapy in terms of feasibility and activity in elderly patients, we treated 120 patients aged 70 years or older with advanced cancer in six major organ sites (breast, colorectum, lung, stomach, ovary, and head and neck). Furthermore, we compared the results in this age group with those in 120 patients with similar clinical features receiving the same chemotherapeutic combinations but whose age was under 70. Our results show that chemotherapeutic regimens routinely used in younger patients yield the same benefits and levels of toxicity in older patients. In none of the different organ sites, in fact, did we observe a higher incidence or severity of side effects, nor were there differences in response rate and survival. In conclusion, elderly cancer patients who are not suffering from medical complications, which are generally increased in aged patients (e.g., cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, or neurological diseases), can be considered candidates for full doses of chemotherapy, like their younger counterparts.