Cancer chemotherapy in the elderly: a series of 51 patients aged greater than 70 years.

A total of 2,238 new cancer patients were treated in our institution in 1988; among the 423 (18.9%) who were greater than 70 years old, 51 underwent chemotherapy. The median age was 75.8 years, and the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) was greater than or equal to 70% for 40 patients. Malignancies were hematopoietic in 24 cases (47%) and digestive in 15 patients (29%), and 12 subjects (24%) had other types of cancers. The first chemotherapy course was given at the full dose to 23/51 (45.1%) patients. The drug dose was reduced for 28/51 (54.9%) patients, due in 25 cases to the subjects being greater than 70 years old. Neither age, KPS, pretreatment assessment, nor cancer extent was correlated with the modifications made to the first cycle. An overall toxicity of grade 3 + 4 (WHO grading scale) was noted in 10 subjects (19.6%). Although these elderly patients were probably selected, analysis of their charts did not evidence an increase in chemotherapy toxicity, regardless of the dose they received.