Dr. Lin on Chemoradiation in Elderly Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, associate professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Center, discusses study of chemoradiation in elderly patients with esophageal cancer.

Many patients with esophageal cancer tend to be over 80 years of age. With the assumption that their age dictates their health, many physicians worldwide tend to veer away from aggressive therapies, such as chemoradiation, in fear of worsening toxicities and quality of life.

Surprisingly, elderly patients fared well with chemoradiation, with comparable toxicities to younger patients with the same disease. According to Lin, the baby-boomer generation is generally healthy and living longer than previous generations,which means aggressive treatment can and should be used when necessary.