Ageism may see fewer pensioners get cancer treatment - report
Ageism may be a factor in the lower numbers of older patients treated for cancer, it emerged today.
A report from the National Cancer Registry (NCR) revealed people aged between 70 to 79-years had treatment rates of only a half to a third of those patients aged 50 to 59 for most treatment types and common cancers.
Dr Harry Comber, director of the NCR, said there may well be ageism towards treating older patients.
However, he added: “There is no evidence for ageism. There may well be but it is quite difficult to eliminate all the factors which might cause treatment to be different for older people than younger people.
“If you look at lung cancer, elderly lung cancer patients in the US are much more likely to have surgery than elderly lung cancer patients in Ireland.”
Dr Comber said the difference between the numbers of older patients offered treatment in the UK compared to the US had also been noted.
“In the UK they do feel that one of their problems with regard to poor cancer survival is they are not as active in the treatment of elderly patients as in the United States or Continental Europe,” he added.
“It may well be a similar problem here. It is certainly one we would see as being a priority from our point of view of identifying if there is a care gap for elderly people that needs to be filled.”
The director said a drop in the number of older people treated was to be expected and could in part be attributed to their fitness levels.
“We need to look at the issues around reasons to treat and not to treat,” he added.
“If you are in good health and you are 80 and you are fit for treatment then you should have your treatment.”
The NCR report ‘Cancer in Ireland 1994-2001’ found surgery and radiotherapy rates rose slightly over the seven years, while chemotherapy rates increased considerably.
The report found the overall uptake of chemotherapy had increased from 13% of patients in 1996 to 18% in 2001.
