Older Cancer Patients Considered 'Too Old For Treatment'
Older Cancer Patients Considered 'Too Old For Treatment'
PA/The Huffington Post UK
Some cancer patients are being "written off" as being too old for treatment, a charity has warned.
Too many older patients are being assessed on their age alone and not their overall fitness, Macmillan Cancer Support said.
The comments come as new research from the charity and the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) found that tens of thousands of pensioners who have been diagnosed with cancer have survived for at least a decade.
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More than 130,000 people in the UK have survived for at least 10 years after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 65 or above, the charity said.
This includes more than 8,000 patients who were diagnosed at the age of 80 and over.
But despite the large number of older people who are "long-term" survivors of the disease, the charity said that many patients in the UK are being denied treatment because they are deemed to be too old.
It said that cancer survival rates in this age group are "poor".
For many common cancers - including prostate, breast, lung, stomach, ovary and kidney cancers - the UK and Ireland have a lower five-year survival rate than the rest of Europe, a spokesman said.
Health workers should ensure treatment decisions are not based on age alone and should also assess a patient's physical and mental well-being, the charity said.
"It's wrong to write off older people as too old for treatment," said Macmillan Cancer Support's chief executive Ciaran Devane.
"With a proper assessment and appropriate treatment, our research shows that many older cancer patients can live for a long time and can even be cured.
"While it's good news that so many older people are benefiting from treatment, many thousands more could live longer if our survival rates for over-65s matched those in comparable countries.
"The barriers to getting treatment - which include age discrimination and inadequate assessment methods - must be tackled now so more older people can survive cancer and live for many years."
The story continues below the slideshow:
Boost Your Anti-Cancer Diet
Vitamin D(01 of08)
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Studies have found that people who have higher levels of vitamin D have significantly lower rates of breast, ovarian, renal, colon, pancreatic, aggressive prostate, and other cancers. Researchers have even predicted that raising vitamin D levels in the United States and Canada would prevent 58,000 people from getting breast cancer and 49,000 from getting colorectal cancer. However, Americans are woefully short on this essential nutrient. We get more than 90 per cent of vitamin D from sunshine, but people are avoiding the sun for fear of getting skin cancer, Dr. Teitelbaum says. “Avoid sunburn, not sunshine,” he says. And take a vitamin D nutritional supplement. He recommends that everyone take 1,000 to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day, which you can find in a good multivitamin. (credit:Alamy)
Curcumin(02 of08)
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Curcumin has killed cancer cells in the laboratory, shrunk tumors in animals, and helped prevent several forms of cancer from developing in animal studies. “Curcumin is a pretty remarkable herb,” Teitelbaum says. There are more than 1,000 studies showing that it’s effective for cancer, he says. But if you’re not eating foods made with curry every day (because curcumin is derived from turmeric), you’re probably not getting enough for cancer protection, he says. Should everyone take a dietary supplement? It’s probably only necessary if you have a strong family history of cancer, Teitelbaum says. Be sure to find a supplement specifically designed for easy absorption, such as the product Curamin. (credit:Alamy)
Vitamin B (03 of08)
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Some research has shown that B vitamins, including folic acid (vitamin B9), can lower the risk for some cancers, but the research hasn’t been conclusive. Observational studies have found that people who get more folic acid may be less likely to get colon cancer, especially compared to people who are deficient in folic acid, and that getting vitamin B6 may lower the likelihood of getting colorectal cancer. But researchers haven’t done large clinical trials on these vitamins. The best option is to choose a good multivitamin that includes B vitamins rather than individual supplements. (credit:Alamy)
Green Tea(04 of08)
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Studies done in the laboratory suggest that some compounds in antioxidant-rich green tea may help stop cancer cells from growing by cutting off their blood supply. One study from China found that people who drank green tea and did not smoke had a lower risk of getting esophageal cancer than those who didn’t drink green tea, but the results from other studies have been mixed. “It’s not the first place I reach to in terms of anti-cancer effect,” Teitelbaum says. But there are other reasons to sip: It lowers anxiety and heart attack risk, he says. (credit:Alamy)
Selenium(05 of08)
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In areas of the world where the soil has high levels of selenium, there are significantly fewer deaths from cancer, including lung, breast, colon, ovarian, cervical, bladder, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers. However, clinical trials that have looked at selenium’s role in cancer prevention have been mixed. Because your body only needs a small amount of this mineral, the American Cancer Society recommends eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables rather than taking selenium in nutritional supplements. You can get selenium from Brazil nuts, seafood, whole grains, cereal, meat and poultry, kidney, and liver. (credit:Alamy)
Garlic (06 of08)
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Eating garlic may lower your risk for breast, colon, esophageal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers, according to preliminary studies. When researchers looked at the results of seven population studies, they found that those with higher amounts of garlic in their diet had lower risk for stomach and colorectal cancer. But the results of clinical trials have been mixed, and researchers don’t know how much garlic you may need for protection. The World Health Organization recommends that people get about a clove of garlic a day in their diet. (credit:Alamy)
Fish Oil (07 of08)
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Truth be told, fish oil’s strength is not cancer prevention, Teitelbaum says. Some research has shown that women who eat fish twice a week have a lower risk for endometrial cancer, but in general the research looking at cancer protection hasn’t shown much of a link. However, fish oil can do so much for your health, including helping to prevent heart disease or stroke and lowering rates of depression. There’s good reason to focus on getting fish in your diet and consider taking fish oil nutritional supplements. (credit:Alamy)
Beta Carotene(08 of08)
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Animal studies have suggested that vitamin A (which includes beta carotene) could shrink tumors, slow down the growth of tumors, and enhance cancer treatments. However, getting too much beta carotene or vitamin A can be toxic. When smokers took vitamin A dietary supplements, their risk of dying from lung cancer and heart disease increased. If you take a high dose of beta carotene, you can cause relative deficiency of other nutrients in the body, Teitelbaum says. For that reason, don’t get more than 5,000 international units of beta carotene a day. (credit:Alamy)
NCIN's clinical lead Dr Mick Peake added: "It is vital that all patients receive the best and most effective treatment based on the nature of their cancer and their fitness for treatment and that chronological age alone is not the deciding factor.
"We know that cancer survival rates in older patients in many other countries are better than in the UK and ensuring optimal treatment at all ages is the way of tackling this issue."
Dr Mark Porter, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, said: "It is important that all healthcare professionals ensure that patients are treated on the basis of their clinical need.
"With an increasingly ageing population, it should be a key part of medical professionalism to guarantee that older patients are treated with the care and respect they deserve."
Sean Duffy, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: "In light of the fact that we've got an ageing population, it's a very timely moment to review the way services are aligned around this age group.
"We need to deliver better services for people over 65 and 75 because we know there's an issue and interventions need to be designed to that end.
"Our understanding of cancer continues to improve and patients with cancer now have much more consistent access to high-quality treatment than ever before. This is meaning more and more lives are being saved.
"Treatment for cancer can be complex and should be based on what is right for each individual patient."