Efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions in elderly patients

BACKGROUND With advancements in the development of endoscopic technologies,the endo-scopic submucosal dissection(ESD)has been one of the gold-standard therapies for early gastric cancer.AIM To investigate the efficacy and safety ESD in the treatment of early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions in the elderly patients.METHODS Seventy-eight elderly patients with early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical University were se-lected and classified into two groups according to the different surgical therapies they received between January 2021 and June 2022.Among them,39 patients treated with ESD were included in an experimental group,and 39 patients treated with endoscopic mucosal resection(EMR)were included in a control group.We compared the basic intraoperative conditions,postoperative short-term recovery,long-term recovery effects and functional status of gastric mucosa between the two groups;the basic intraoperative conditions included lesion resection,intra-operative bleeding and operation time;the postoperative short-term recovery assessment indexes were length of hospital stay and incidence of surgical complic-ations;and the long-term recovery assessment indexes were the recurrence rate at 1 year postoperatively and the survival situation at 1 year and 3 years postoper-atively;and we compared the preoperative and predischarge serum pepsinogen I(PG I)and PG II levels and PG I/PG II ratio in the two groups before surgery and discharge.RESULTS The curative resection rate and the rate of en bloc resection were higher in the experimental group than in the control group.The intraoperative bleeding volume was higher in the experimental group than in the control group.The operation time was longer in the experimental group than that in the control group,and the rate for base residual focus was lower in the experimental group than that of the control group,and the differences were all statistically significant(all P<0.05).The length of hospital stay was longer in the experi-mental group than in the control group,and the incidence of surgical complications,1-year postoperative recu-rrence rate and 3-year postoperative survival rate were lower in the experimental group than in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).However,the difference in the 1-year postoperative survival rate was not statistically significant between the two groups(P>0.05).Before discharge,PG I and PG I/PG II ratio were elevated in both groups compared with the preoperative period,and the above indexes were higher in the experimental group than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(both P<0.05).Moreover,before discharge,PG II level was lower in both groups compared with the preoperative period,and the level was lower in the experimental group than in the control group,and the differences were all statistically significant(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION Compared with EMR,ESD surgery is more thorough.It reduces the rate of base residual focus,recurrence rate,surgical complications,and promotes the recovery of gastric cells and glandular function.It is safe and suitable for clinical application.

The Application of Forward Control Nursing in Anesthesia, Recovery, and Rehabilitation of Thoracoscopic Lung Cancer Radical Surgery

Objective: To explore the clinical application effect of formulating the operating room nursing work procedure sheet for elderly lung cancer patients in thoracoscopic radical surgery. Methods: A total of 85 elderly patients with lung cancer treated in our hospital from May 2022 to May 2023 were included as the study population for this research. They were divided into a study group of 42 cases and a regular group of 43 cases. The regular group of elderly patients received routine nursing care, while the study group of elderly patients was provided with the operating room nursing care work procedure sheet. The surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss, time to mobilization, and postoperative complication rate were compared and analyzed between the two groups. Results: Compared to the regular group, the study group had significantly shorter surgical duration and time to mobilization, as well as less intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.05). The overall incidence of postoperative complications in the study group (4.76%) was significantly lower than that in the regular group (19.05%) (P Conclusion: Formulating the operating room nursing work procedure sheet for elderly lung cancer patients can effectively improve surgical efficiency, reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, and promote patient prognosis in thoracoscopic radical surgery. Therefore, this model is worth promoting and adopting in clinical practice.

Nab-paclitaxel(abraxane)-based chemotherapy to treat elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer:a single center,randomized and open-label clinical trial

Background： The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of abraxane-based chemotherapy with/without nedaplatin in elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Materials and methods： From October 2009 to January 2013, 48 elderly patients （≥65 years） with NSCLC were investigated in this clinical trial. The patients were randomized and equally allocated into arms A and AP- （A） abraxane （130 mg/m2, days 1, 8）; （B） abraxane ＋ nedaplatin （20 mg/m2 days 1-3, q3w）. The parameters of objective response rate （ORR）, disease control rate （DCR）, progression-free survival （PFS）, overall survival （OS） and side effects were evaluated between two arms. Results： Over 80% of the patients completed four cycles of chemotherapy. The total ORR was 21.3 %, DCR was 55.3%, PFS 4.5 months and OS 12.6 months. No significant difference was found between arms A and AP in terms of ORR （16.7% vs. 26.1%, P=0.665） or DCR （55.3% vs. 56.5%, P=0.871）. The median PFS in arm A was 3.3 months [25-75% confidence interval （CI）： 3.1-7.2] and 5.5 months （25-75% CI： 3.2-7.0） in arm AP with no statistical significance （P=0.640）. The median OS in arm A was 12.6 months （25-75% CI： 5.7-26.2） and 15.1 months （25-75% CI： 6.4-35.3） in arm AP with no statistical significance （P=0.770）. The side effects were mainly grade 1-2. The incidence of grade 3-4 toxicities was 29.1% in arm A and 62.5% in arm AP with a statistical significance （P=0.020）. Conclusions： Compared with combined therapy, abraxane alone chemotherapy was beneficial for elderly NSCLC patients with better tolerability and less adverse events, whereas did not significantly differ in terms of ORR, DCR, PFS or OS.

The Process of How Elderly Patients with Lung Cancer Who Are Receiving Molecularly Targeted Therapy with Oral Agents Establish Self-Management

Purpose: In Japan, many elderly cancer patients are receiving chemotherapy using oral molecularly targeted drugs. They receive treatment in outpatient setting and have a need to self-manage at home. The purpose of this study was to clarify how elderly patients with lung cancer who are undergoing treatment with molecularly targeted drugs in outpatient setting establish self-management. Methods: The study used Kinoshita’s Modified Grounded Theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 patients (eight males and nine females). Results: This study identified six categories: Accepting life with cancer, Maintaining activities of daily living without feeling shackled by cancer, Reconsidering how to continue being themselves in daily life until life comes to an end, Using trial and error to integrate treatment and daily living, Formulating their criteria for continuing treatment, and Obtaining help from caregivers. Conclusion: The self-management process in elderly patients consisted of maintaining treatment and integrating treatment with daily living. And they are exploring the effects of treatment and side effects in order to live their own life. Implications for Nursing: In many elderly patients with lung cancer the purpose of treatment is curative extension of survival and improved quality of life. Our findings suggest that is important we help patients to identify how patients want to live, identify ways to improve their quality of life, and share the goals of treatment between the patient and the caregiver.

Insight into early-phase trials for lung cancer in the United States

Introduction:Few data have been published comparing early-phase trials for lung cancer between China and the United States(US).This study was to investigate the differences of phase 1 trials for lung cancer between these two countries.Methods:In 2014,a cross-sectional survey was conducted to compare phase 1 trials for lung cancer between the Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute(GLCI),the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center(UWCCC),and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center(MDACC).Results:We found that the GLCI had a lower percentage of phase 1 lung cancer trials than the MDACC in December2014(23.8%[5/21]vs.59.8%[28/47],P = 0.006) and the UWCCC in September 2014(16.7%[3/18]vs.34.8%[8/23],P = 0.345).Descriptive analyses were performed for early-phase trials conducted by the CancerTherapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute(CTEP/NCI),the MDACC,and the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group(CTONG).There were 149 ongoing early-phase trials in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics(Phase 1 program) at the MDACC in October 2014.In contrast,no phase 1 trials had been initiated by the CTONG since its establishment in 2007.Conclusions:These data suggest that a significantly higher percentage of phase 1 trials for lung cancer were conducted in the US than in China.Early-phase oncology trials with robust preclinical data had a higher chance of being approved by the Investigational Drug Branch at the CTEP/NCI.Given the importance of early-phase oncology trials in developing innovative cancer medicines,such studies should be highly encouraged and strategically funded in China.

Advances and controversies in the management of early stage nonsmall cell lung cancer

Complete resection continues to be the gold standard for the treatment of earlystage lung cancer.The landmark Lung Cancer Study Group trial in 1995 established lobectomy as the minimum intervention necessary for the management of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer,as it was associated with lower recurrence and metastasis rates than sublobar resection and lower postoperative morbidity and mortality than pneumonectomy.There is a growing tendency to perform sublobar resection in selected cases,as,depending on factors such as tumor size,histologic subtype,lymph node involvement,and resection margins,it can produce similar oncological results to lobectomy.Alternative treatments such as stereotactic body radiotherapy and radiofrequency ablation can also produce good outcomes in inoperable patients or patients who refuse surgery.

Recent advances and new insights in the management of early-stage epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer

Patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC)are candidates for curative surgery;however,despite multiple advances in lung cancer management,recurrence rates remain high.Adjuvant chemotherapy has been demonstrated to significantly prolong overall survival(OS),but this benefit is modest and there is an urgent need for effective new therapies to provide a cure for more patients.The high efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs)against epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated(EGFR)in patients with advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC has led to the evaluation of these agents in early stages of the disease.Multiple clinical trials have evaluated the safety and efficacy of EGFR TKIs as an adjuvant treatment,in patients with resected EGFR-mutated NSCLC,and shown that they significantly prolong disease-free survival(DFS),but this benefit does not translate to OS.Recently,an interim analysis of the ADAURA trial demonstrated that,surprisingly,osimertinib improved DFS.This led to the study being stopped early,leaving many unanswered questions about its potential effect on OS and its incorporation as a standard adjuvant treatment in this patient subgroup.These targeted agents are also being evaluated in locally-advanced disease,with promising results,although prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these results.In this article,we review the most relevant studies on the role of EGFR TKIs in the management of early-stage EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

A case of small intestinal hemorrhage secondary to metastatic lung cancer in the elderly

Gastrointestinal metastasis from primary lung cancer is rare. In the present study, we report the case of a 78-year-old male who was admitted to the emergency department with acute bleeding of the digestive tract. During evaluation, he was found to have lung adenocarcinoma metastasis in the small bowel leading to hemorrhage. A jejunum wedge resection was carried out and bleeding was controlled. However, 2 months after the operation, the patient died from severe pulmonary infection. We also review the published literature of primary lung cancer with gastrointestinal metastasis.

Immunotherapy in Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors are extensively used in cancer treatment and have transformed the therapeutic landscape by inducing durable responses. Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death 1 (PD-1) receptor and programmed death ligand-1 (PDL-1) are used alone or with chemotherapy for treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There is a great need for improving outcomes of patients with early stage NSCLC after surgical resection and with recent F. D. A. approval, immune checkpoint inhibitors are used as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy to enable curative resection and prevent or delay disease progression. In this article, we review the clinical studies evaluating the role of adjuvant and neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC and discuss the role of immunotherapy with radiation therapy in locally advanced non-metastatic NSCLC.

The related effects of astragalus polysaccharides on the improvement of bone marrow suppression and hematopoietic stem cells during chemotherapy in elderly patients with lung cancer

Objective:To investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharides(APS)on bone marrow suppression and hematopoietic stem cells during chemotherapy in elderly patients with lung cancer.Methods:120 elderly patients with lung cancer treated in the first hospital of Xingtai city from January 2019 to early December 2019 were divided into the treatment group and the control group by the random number table method,all of whom received pemetrexed+carboplatin chemotherapy,and the treatment group was treated with APS at the same time.The efficacy was evaluated after 2 cycles of chemotherapy,bone marrow suppression was observed,and levels of TCM symptoms score,peripheral blood T lymphocyte subgroup index,L-selectin(CD62L)and macrophage differentiation antigen-1(Mac-1)were measured before and after 2 cycles of chemotherapy.Results:The response rate(RR)was 56.67%in the treatment group and 45.00%in the control group,with no statistically significant difference(P>0.05);The disease control rate(DCR)in the treatment group was 81.67%,which was significantly higher than 65.00%in the control group(P<0.05);The reduction degree of leukopenia in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05);The treatment group had a platelet reduction of grade 1+2 at a rate of 40.00%,and hemoglobin reduction of grade 1+2 at a rate of 28.33%,which were significantly lower than the control group at 65.00%and 58.33%(P<0.05);Compared with those before chemotherapy,the total score of TCM symptoms,serum CD62L and Mac-1 levels in the two groups all decreased significantly after chemotherapy,and they were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group(P<0.05);After chemotherapy,CD3+,CD4+and CD4+/CD8+in the treatment group increased significantly and they were all higher in the treatment group than in the control group,while CD8+decreased significantly and was lower in the treatment group than in the control group(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in T lymphocyte subsets before and after chemotherapy in the control group(P>0.05).Conclusion:Astragalus polysaccharide can improve the chemotherapy effect and improve the bone marrow suppression in elderly patients with lung cancer,which may be related to its obvious enhancement of immune function and decrease of CD62L and Mac-1 levels.

Chemotherapy (Gemcitabine plus Carboplatin versus Paclitaxel plus Carboplatin) in Elderly Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: This retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine plus carboplatin (GC regimen) and paclitaxel plus carboplatin (PC regimen) combination chemotherapy in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Seventy-four patients (GC regimen, n = 44;PC regimen, n= 30) received gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, and carboplatin with the target dose of area under the curve (AUC) of 4 on day 8 every 28 days and paclitaxel at a dose of 70 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15, and carboplatin with the target dose of AUC of 5 on day 1 every 28 days. Patients were divided in two groups (younger one: n = 42, old;elderly one: n= 32, ≥70 years old). Results: A total of 222 cycles of the treatment wasadministered. Seventy-one patients (95.9%) completed the scheduled cycles. Two patients in the elderly group were discontinued (6.3%) due to hematological toxicity and melena in the GC regimen and to grade 4 pneumonia in the PC regimen. The dose was reduced in 8 patients (10.8%) due to grade 4 thrombocytopenia. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was not significantly observed in both groups (younger group: 24/42, 57.1%;elderly group: 19/32, 59.4%, p = 0.8471). The nonhematological toxicities were mild in both groups. However, in theelderly group, grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia was significantly observed in the GC group (GC: 5/17, 29.4%;PC: 0/15, 0.0%, p = 0.0222). There was no treatment-related death. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the GC and PC combination chemotherapies are efficacious and feasible regimens for lung cancer therapy, especially, both regimens should be considered as one of the standard therapies for elderly patients during lung cancer therapy.

The Results Observation on Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Microwave Hyperthermia and Stereotactic Radiotherapy in Retreated Elderly Patients with Advanced (III/IV Stage) Lung Cancer

Objective: To evaluate the significance of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Gamma-knife) in the elderly patients with retreated advance lung cancer. Methods 83 patients (age 50 to 81 years) with retreating advanced (III/IV stage) lung cancer were divided into three groups according to patients received treating by different methods. The cases were treated by synchronous chemo-radiotherapy (A group), sequentially chemo-radiotherapy (B group) and continuous systematized chemotherapy alone (C group). The systemic 3-dimensional orientation apparatus was used in radiotherapy. The chemotherapy regimen in combined radiotherapy was given by common first line regimen on lung cancer. The regimen of chemotherapy combated with whole body hyperthermia by using micro-wave on abodeman about 2 or 3 line was used in C group only. Results: The overall responses rates (RR) of A, B and C groups were 17.1%, 11.5% and 31.8%, but it was non-significance difference (P > 0.05). Overall responses rates (RR) of III and IV stage groups were 18.2% and 20.0%. The average overall survival time (OS) and median survival time (MST) of the patients treated by chemotherapy (C group) were highest about 14.2 and 9.3 months (respectively at A group 6.7 and 6.0 months. P < 0.01), in which B group was longer than A group (P < 0.05), and 95.5% CI value was not overlap. The total survival time of postoperative patients was longer in the various groups by different treated than that in non-operations. Conclusion: The rates (RR) of III and IV stage groups were non-significance difference. The higher of ORR, OS and MST in a few patients of re-treated advanced lung cancer was presented in case with treated by continuous system chemotherapy. There were survival superiority in initial postoperative patients groups by different treated. It is a profitable and effect treatment that the pure reasonable systemic chemotherapy was used for elderly case with advanced retreated lung cancer.

Comparison of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Delivery Techniques for Early-Stage Lung Cancer Using Lung Toxicity Modeling

Purpose: Lung toxicity is a primary side effect in stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to use a set of radiobiological models to evaluate and compare modern IMRT delivery techniques with three-dimensional conformal techniques for SBRT treatment of NSCLC in terms of lung toxicity, and aimed to compare the results from different radiobiologcal models. Methods: Ten early-stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT were retrospectively selected. Five treatment plans were generated to deliver 50 Gy in five fractions to the planning target volume for each case: a helical tomotherapy (HT) plan, two three-dimensional cofnromal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) plans using 6-MV and 10-MV photon beams respectively, and two volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans using one and two arc fields respectively. The lung RDV was calculated with three parallel functional sub-unit (FSU) models and two normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models. Results: Both the HT and VMAT plans showed significantly higher contralateral mean lung dose and lower ipsilateral mean lung dose compared to the 3D-CRT plans. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of lung toxicities between the IMRT and 3D-CRT techniques using either the FSU models or the NTCP models. Based on both the FSU and the NTCP models, there was strong correlation between lung toxicity and the mean lung dose in SBRT treatment plans. Conclusions: Based on both the NTCP and parallel FSU models, both IMRT and traditional 3D-CRT delivery techniques could achieve comparable lung sparing inn SBRT treatment of early-stage lung cancer. However, the validity of the radiobiological model results should be checked by clinical data.

Analysis on the Influence of PBL Teaching Method on Knowledge Awareness Rate in Teaching of Elderly Lung Cancer Nursing

Objective:To study the effect of Project-Based Learning(PBL)teaching method in lung cancer nursing teaching and its influence on knowledge awareness rates.Methods:The research subjects were 50 nursing interns who entered the same hospital for internship in 2020.The numerical ranking method was used for blind-selection and grouping,where 25 nursing interns were divided into the control group and the internship group each.Among them,the nursing interns in the control group adopted routine nursing teaching management,and the nursing interns in the training group used PBL teaching method for teaching management.The teaching satisfaction rate,teaching quality and knowledge awareness rate of the two groups were compared.Results:Nursing interns in the practice group were better than the control group in their nursing knowledge awareness rate and teaching satisfaction rate after adopting the PBL teaching method,and p<0.05.Conclusion:Through the implementation of PBL teaching method in the clinical nursing teaching of elderly lung cancer in conjunction with cancer nursing related problems,on-site answering is carried out in the way of nursing internship,so that the knowledge of nursing students in the practicing stage will be more in-depth,and the effects and quality of the nursing internship have been steadily improved,which has certain value of promotion in teaching.

Advances in lung cancer screening and early detection

Lung cancer is associated with a heavy cancer-related burden in terms of patients’physical and mental health worldwide.Two randomized controlled trials,the US-National Lung Screening Trial(NLST)and Nederlands-Leuvens Longkanker Screenings Onderzoek(NELSON),indicated that low-dose CT(LDCT)screening results in a statistically significant decrease in mortality in patients with lung cancer,LDCT has become the standard approach for lung cancer screening.However,many issues in lung cancer screening remain unresolved,such as the screening criteria,high false-positive rate,and radiation exposure.This review first summarizes recent studies on lung cancer screening from the US,Europe,and Asia,and discusses risk-based selection for screening and the related issues.Second,an overview of novel techniques for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules,including artificial intelligence and molecular biomarker-based screening,is presented.Third,current explorations of strategies for suspected malignancy are summarized.Overall,this review aims to help clinicians understand recent progress in lung cancer screening and alleviate the burden of lung cancer.

Can statins reduce risk of lung cancer,especially among elderly people? A meta-analysis

Objective： As the most common cause of cancer mortality throughout the world, lung cancer has drawn people＇s attention on how to reduce the risk with chemopreventive ways. Many epidemiological studies have shown inconsistent effects of statins on lung cancer, but some observational studies have showed that statins had protective effect on lung cancer among elderly people. So we preformed this meta-analysis to find whether statins were chemopreventive. Methods： We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases from inception to September, 2013. A total of 23 studies were selected, including 15 observational studies and 8 randomized controlled trials （RCTs）. Both fixed and random-effects models were used to calculate pooled estimates in primary and sensitivity analyses. We used Q and 12 statistics to assess statistical heterogeneity, and evaluated publication bias by Begg＇s test and Egger＇s test. Results： No association between statins and lung cancer risk was identified either in the meta-analysis among RCTs [relative risk （RR）： 0.95, 95% confidence interval （95% CI）： 0.85-1.06] or observational studies （RR： 0.89, 95% CI： 0.77-1.04）. We also selected 6 observational studies that all researched on elderly people. The result of meta-analysis showed that there was still no protective effect between statins and lung cancer among elderly people （RR： 1.03, 95% CI： 0.96-1.11）. Conclusions： Our results did not support a protective effect of statins on the overall lung cancer risk and the lung cancer risk among elderly people. More well-designed RCTs are needed to enhance our understanding of the chemopreventive effect of statins on lung cancer.

Early screening of lung cancers:an effort arduous but worthwhile

Cancers are a concerning health catastrophe worldwide that may become the end of lifetime for many of us--they overwhelmingly exhaust medical resources, lead to huge economic burdens, and separate people from their beloved ones. Fewer and fewer insurance agencies are willing to include primary cancers on their general health insurance plan, just because cancers have been so flummoxingly usual in our daily life that many primary cancer claims would give rise to much less profits.

Advanced non-small cell lung cancer in elderly patients: A review

Over 50% of patients diagnosed with non-smallcell lung cancer(NSCLC) are 65 years old while 30% exceed 70 years old. Comparing elderly patients to their younger counterpart they poorly tolerate chemotherapy due to progressive reduction of organ function and age-related co-existing pathologies. Due to this reason elderly are usually excluded from platinum-based chemotherapy, which still represent the standard of care for advanced NSCLC. In every-day practice, single-agent schedule with a third-generation drug is the recommended option for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC. A modest increase in toxicity for elderly patients has been demonstrated by subgroup analyses concluding for platinum-based combination chemotherapy being similar in young patients and fit elderly. Even though the cited evidence, feasibility of chemotherapy based on platinum remains an open question. Prospective randomised trials are warranted in order to change guide lines and give the clinicians a new therapeutic option. Recent emerging role of molecular target in selecting patients for new targeted therapies suggest dedicated trials for elderly patients. The same is for more accurate evaluation of elderly patients with increasing evidence for a comprehensive geriatric assessment as a valid tool for customized treatment in NSCLC elderly patients. Suitable evidences for the treatment of elderly patients affected by advanced NSCLC together with more appropriate and validated tools for patients selection are reviewed along the manuscript.

Elderly Lung Cancer Patients and Radiochemotherapy: A Review

More than 60% of lung cancer patients in Europe and the USA are older than 65 years at the time of diagnosis. Despite this, elderly patients are generally under-represented in clinical trials. That being so, a general consensus on how to treat elderly patients is still far from being achieved. In this review, we address some of the issues and challenges surrounding the treatment of older cancer patients and radiochemotherapy. We discuss the existing evidence related to radio-chemotherapy in the elderly, focusing primarily on the lung cancer (NSCLC and SCLC) most commonly seen in older patients, and making general treatment recommendations.