“But We Are Already Geriatric Oncologists”—Why Older Patients Need a Special Approach (A View from a United Kingdom Cancer Center)

To the Editor: Cancer incidence increases in the elderly, with more than half of cancers in the United Kingdom (UK) diagnosed in patients aged >70 years. Over the last decade the number of people aged >85 years has increased by one-third to 1.5 million (1). In our center, 46% of patients undergoing radiation therapy last year were more than 68 years old, with 10% over the age of 80 years. Older patients are a heterogeneous group, ranging from very fit to frail.

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