Cancer in the elderly. Epidemiologic and clinical implications.

Cancer is a major problem for the older population. The incidence of most malignancies increases with age, with cancer being the second most common cause of death in persons older than 65. With the decline in deaths related to cardiovascular diseases, cancer is becoming an even more prominent cause of death among the elderly. Despite the advances in cancer prevention and treatment over the past 20 years for persons under 50, the mortality has not improved for older persons. In this article we explore the interactions of cancer and age that may be of interest to the practitioner, after reviewing the epidemiology of cancer in the elderly.