title: Treatment of octogenarians with lung cancer: A single centre audit of treatments and outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Document the incidence, stage at presentation and therapy offered to octogenarians with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) over 3 years and compare to those under 80 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of patients with NSCLC managed via a lung cancer multidisciplinary team at Canterbury District Health Board. Follow-up data at one year following presentation was analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population comprised 124 octogenarians (mean 83.7 years), of whom 54 (42%) were female. Participants presented with adenocarcinoma 48 (38.7%), squamous cell 35 (28.2%) and without tissue diagnoses 41 (33.1%). Stage I and II lung cancer was found in 43 (34%) patients. Surgical resection ensued in six (4.8%), radiotherapy with curative intent in 20 (16.1%), non-curative treatment options in 98 (79%), compared to 106 (15.4%), 112 (15.6%) and 431 (67.2%) respectively of the 635 patients in the under 80 group with NSCLC. All of the surgical group and 15 (75%) in the radiotherapy group of octogenarians were alive at one year; which is comparable to the rest of the cohort, where all patients of the surgical group and 63 (64.2%) of the radiotherapy group were alive at one year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Octogenarians who undergo radiotherapy or surgery with curative intent have an excellent one year survival. Because all patients were alive at one year following surgical resection, we conclude that surgery seems to be a viable treatment option in octogenarians, which may be underutilised.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. irina.baimatova@cdhb.health.nz.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Baimatova
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beckert
authors.forename: Harsh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018579:Patient Selection; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020379:Risk Adjustment; D016019:Survival Analysis