Unfortunately, older individuals have frequently been denied access to final treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy because of their age. The overwhelming body of data, on the other hand, supports the notion that healthy and willing older patients benefit from final surgical resection and do not have significant surgical morbidity as a result of the procedure.

Are response rates to aggressive chemotherapy different in younger and older patients?

The response rates to intensive chemotherapy are similar in patients who are younger and those who are older. Disease-related survival is frequently similar across age groups, while fatalities owing to comorbid conditions are more common in the older age group.

Should elderly patients with advanced cancer have chemotherapy?

In order to decide whether or not to undergo chemotherapy, elderly cancer patients must be given the opportunity to weigh the risks and advantages of the treatment. The response rates to intensive chemotherapy are similar in patients who are younger and those who are older.

What are the adverse effects of chemotherapy on cancer patients?

As organ function deteriorates, the side effects of chemotherapy become more severe, and the balance between effectiveness and toxicity shifts away from the patients’ advantage. Adverse effects can have a negative influence on a patient’s quality of life as well as their capacity to deal with their everyday activities. This also adds to the load placed on their caregivers.

What happens if you are too weak for chemotherapy?

One or more of the following side effects may occur: fewer blood cells, often known as low blood counts. It is possible that you have less white blood cells, red blood cells, or a kind of blood cell known as platelets in your bloodstream. Low blood counts raise your chances of contracting an infection, developing anemia, bleeding, or bruising.

Can you be too old for chemotherapy?

In the vast majority of situations, this is not the case. Compared to a younger individual, a healthy older person has the same chances of responding to therapy or being cured as a younger one. Even in patients with more severe health problems, chemotherapy may be effective in reducing cancer symptoms and growth, as well as in helping individuals live better and longer lives.

Should an 80 year old have chemo?

First and foremost, there is no justification to refuse older cancer patients effective cancer treatment — including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation — on the basis of their age alone.An important aspect to remember is that no two people are the same.It is possible that an elderly person over the age of 80 will handle a conventional course of chemotherapy very well, while another may not.

When chemo is not an option?

In the event that cancer does not respond to conventional therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, palliative care may be an alternative therapeutic option. Palliative care can be used in conjunction with other therapies or as a stand-alone treatment. The goal is to improve the overall quality of life.

Can chemo cause weakness in the legs?

• Effects on the nervous system and muscles Some chemotherapy medicines have been shown to cause nerve damage in the arms and legs, which are responsible for transmitting messages between the central nervous system and the muscles.
• Peripheral neuropathy is the term used to describe this condition.
• Tingling (″pins and needles″), numbness or discomfort in your hands and feet, as well as muscular weakness in your legs, are all symptoms of diabetes.

Should an 80 year old have radiation?

It has been claimed that psychosocial assistance provided during and after radiation therapy may help to enhance overall quality of life in cancer patients and survivors. Patients above the age of 80 were found to be safe when radiation therapy was delivered with both a curative and a palliative goal, as discovered by the researchers.

How long do you live after stopping chemo?

When compared to other patients, people who died while receiving palliative care had a longer median life (120 days) following their last chemotherapy treatment.

Can chemo make dementia worse?

According to one research, breast cancer survivors over the age of 65 who had chemotherapy exhibited evidence of neurocognitive abnormalities 10 years following treatment when compared to matched controls, according to another study (Yamada et al., 2010). This group of individuals performed considerably worse on the dementia screening test (MMSE 27.6 vs.

Does chemo reduce your lifespan?

Within three decades, the proportion of survivors treated with chemotherapy alone increased from 18 percent in 1970-1979 to 54 percent in 1990-1999, and the life expectancy gap in this chemotherapy-only group decreased from 11.0 years (95 percent UI, 9.0-13.1 years) to 6.0 years (95 percent UI, 9.0-13.1 years) (95 percent UI, 4.5-7.6 years).

What are the side effects of chemo?

1. What are some of the most prevalent adverse effects of chemotherapy? Fatigue, hair loss, easy bruising and bleeding, infection, and anemia (low red blood cell levels) are among symptoms of menopause.
2. Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms.
3. Changes in appetite
5. Constipation

What is palliative chemo?

Palliative chemotherapy is described as chemotherapy used in the non-curative context with the goal of improving symptom management, improving quality of life (QoL), and, ideally, improving survival. It is crucial to understand what is meant by palliative chemotherapy.

Is chemotherapy painful?

Is chemotherapy a painful experience? During the administration of IV chemotherapy, there should be no discomfort or discomfort. If you are experiencing pain, contact the nurse who is caring for you to have your IV line checked. If there is a leak and the medicine seeps into the surrounding tissues, this would be an exception to the rule.

Why do doctors stop chemotherapy?

When cancer therapy is administered for the first time, it is at its most effective. If you’ve had three or more chemotherapy treatments for your cancer and the tumors have continued to grow or spread, it may be time for you to think about halting the treatments altogether.

What is the most life threatening side effect of chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy medications are capable of killing both cancer cells and healthy white blood cells. Because white blood cells are one of the body’s primary defenses against infection, having a low white blood cell count puts you at greater risk of contracting an infection than having a high white blood cell count.

Is chemotherapy worth the risk?

Adding chemotherapy to a cancer treatment regimen can make a significant difference in the likelihood of dying from cancer in some cases. ‘At other occasions, the addition of chemotherapy is virtually completely ineffective.’ If you elect to undergo chemotherapy, you will experience side effects such as tiredness, nausea, hair loss, and other symptoms for 2 to 4 months.

Can a 70 year old woman handle chemo treatment?

Is there anyone above the age of 70 who has gone through chemotherapy and has been able to tolerate or not handle this treatment? There is little evidence to suggest that this age group can benefit from chemotherapy, or that the hormonal tablet is as effective as chemotherapy in the absence of Chemotherapy treatments.

Is palliative care available for older persons with multiple morbidities?

However, it has been discovered that palliative care has not been made available to older people dying from multiple morbidities or ″old age″ to the same extent as it has been made available to younger people, possibly because it can be more difficult to determine when the final stage of life has begun to occur.