If you haven’t had cancer before the age of 90, you can rest assured that you will not have it, oncologist says

Cancer treatment for a younger person and an older person may differ depending on the older person's overall health. In particular, depending on what co-morbidities he has, how his kidneys work, whether he can tolerate the standard treatment regimen for a particular cancer, or whether lighter regimens should be chosen for him. Enrique Soto Perez de Celis, an oncologist from Mexico, told NEWS.am Medicine about this on the margins of the 4th Armenian Oncology Congress in Jermuk, Armenia.

He added, however, that an individual approach is required in each specific case. In the case when all over the world people over 30 are essentially similar in their physical and mental abilities, people over 70 can be very different from each other. Some people at this age walk with a cane and need special care, while others can run cross-country and take care of themselves. And the treatment of these people should be carried out taking into account all these factors.

Enrique Soto Perez de Celis deals with oncology among the elderly, about which he delivered a report at the aforesaid congress.

As per the oncologist, oncology among the elderly is actively developing recently because the life expectancy of a person is increasing globally, and the ratio of the elderly population is also increasing in many countries. And that requires a review of healthcare approaches. In particular, oncologists and gerontologists in a number of countries work as a team to treat cancer in elderly people. There are countries where cancer centers have a separate geriatric service, and in some cases the oncologist simply refers the elderly patient to a gerontologist for consultation.

He added that the latest UN report on "ageism"—age discrimination, states that older people should be more actively engaged in discussions about public life, so that they feel like full members of society, not to be isolated from society, also taking into account that the elderly have what the young do not: the accumulated experience and knowledge.

According to the Mexican doctor, ageism in oncology is manifested in three ways. First, doctors do not want to put much effort into treating elderly patients, believing it to be ineffective. Second, the elderly person’s family may also think that this person has lived his life and it is not worth spending money and effort on his treatment. And third, the elderly person himself may believe that treatment is pointless at his age. Therefore, as per Enrique Soto Perez de Celis, it is necessary to change the approaches of doctors, as well as the existing stereotypes in society.

Answering the question whether it is true that cancer is less aggressive in the elderly, the doctor stated that the answer to this question is generally "no." But there is such an opinion in society because, for example, in the case of some types of breast cancer, something like this can be observed due to the change in the hormonal factor. But in general, the rate at which cancer develops and spreads depends on the type of cancer and has no correlation with age.

At the same time, Enrique Soto Perez de Celis noted an interesting pattern: the incidence of cancer decreases sharply after the age of 90. That is, if you managed to live up to the age of 90 and not get cancer, then you can rest assured that you will not have it, said the doctor.

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