Are Current Cancer Treatments on Target for Our Ageing Cancer Population?

Mark Baxter; KL Cheung; NML Battisti

doi:10.37155/2972-4759-2023-01-01-5

Authors

Mark Baxter Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
KL Cheung Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Uttoxeter Road, Derby, UK
NML Battisti Department of Medicine, Breast Unit, The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK & Breast Cancer Research Division, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37155/2972-4759-2023-01-01-5

Keywords:

Geriatric Oncology, personalised medicine, translational research

Abstract

Worldwide the cancer population is ageing – within a decade almost two-thirds of newly diagnosed patients will be aged 65 years and older. Despite this, the majority of oncology clinical trials continue to recruit patients who are younger and fitter than those typically encountered in clinical practice. As such, there is a lack of clinical data to guide management, particularly in those patients living with frailty and/or comorbidity. Importantly, the lack of older adults in trials also means that the subsequent translational work that underpins biomarker and therapeutic discovery may not be relevant to those we see in clinic. In this commentary, we discuss this challenge and the ways we as an Oncology community can look to address this pressing issue.

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