Use of growth factors in the elderly patient with cancer: a report from the Second International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) 2001 meeting.

Over 70% of the total incidence of cancer recorded in Europe in 1996 was in the elderly population (> or =60 years). Despite such high statistics, elderly cancer patients have often been denied the treatment that younger patients routinely receive. The response of elderly cancer patients to full-dose chemotherapy treatment in several neoplasms is similar to that of younger patients, demonstrating that age should not be a barrier to the administration of potentially curative or palliative chemotherapy. In order to provide optimal treatment to elderly cancer patients, management guidelines are recommended which take into account various factors, such as the physical well-being of the patient, the type of malignancy and any conditions that may hamper compliance with chemotherapy. The evidence-based guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in the US recommend that the safest and most effective treatment of cancer in older individuals may be achieved by proper patient selection based on comprehensive geriatric assessment, dose adjustment of renally excreted drugs, prophylactic use of haematopoietic growth factors in patients treated with chemotherapy of dose-intensity comparable to cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone (CHOP) and maintenance of haemoglobin levels > or =12 g/l. The objective of this article is to report the conclusions of the meeting of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) in September 2001, including the need for geriatric assessment to tailor the management of patients to their personal circumstances and general health and the importance of evidence-based guidelines for the management of elderly cancer patients cannot be over-estimated.