TY - JOUR
T1 - Age Is Not a Limiting Factor in Interventional Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy) for Patients with Localized Cancer
AU - Lancellotta, Valentina
AU - Kovács, György
AU - Tagliaferri, Luca
AU - Perrucci, Elisabetta
AU - Colloca, Giuseppe Ferdinando
AU - Valentini, Vincenzo
AU - Aristei, Cynthia
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - This review examines the role of interventional radiotherapy (IRT otherwise known as brachytherapy) in cancer treatment for elderly patients. Despite their advanced age and associated comorbidities, elderly patients should receive definitive cancer therapies, including surgery and radiotherapy (RT). In fact, RT becomes first-line option for patients who are not eligible for surgery (due to comorbidities, anticoagulant drugs, and risk of disfigurement) or those who refuse it. It emerged from this review of the literature as effective, simple, safe, and comfortable and was associated with good local control, low toxicity rates, and excellent cosmesis and provided a cost benefit. IRT may be used as sole treatment for small cancers or as a useful adjunct to surgery or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in more advanced (or lymph node positive) cases, especially when the aim is local control with adequate preservation of normal tissue function. As palliative treatment, IRT preserves quality of life and/or improves survival. It is to be hoped that this review will serve as a helpful guide for members of multidisciplinary teams that are involved in treating elderly patients with cancer.
AB - This review examines the role of interventional radiotherapy (IRT otherwise known as brachytherapy) in cancer treatment for elderly patients. Despite their advanced age and associated comorbidities, elderly patients should receive definitive cancer therapies, including surgery and radiotherapy (RT). In fact, RT becomes first-line option for patients who are not eligible for surgery (due to comorbidities, anticoagulant drugs, and risk of disfigurement) or those who refuse it. It emerged from this review of the literature as effective, simple, safe, and comfortable and was associated with good local control, low toxicity rates, and excellent cosmesis and provided a cost benefit. IRT may be used as sole treatment for small cancers or as a useful adjunct to surgery or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in more advanced (or lymph node positive) cases, especially when the aim is local control with adequate preservation of normal tissue function. As palliative treatment, IRT preserves quality of life and/or improves survival. It is to be hoped that this review will serve as a helpful guide for members of multidisciplinary teams that are involved in treating elderly patients with cancer.
KW - Age Factors
KW - Aging
KW - Brachytherapy
KW - Humans
KW - Neoplasms
KW - Age Factors
KW - Aging
KW - Brachytherapy
KW - Humans
KW - Neoplasms
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/149087
UR - http://www.hindawi.com/journals/biomed/
U2 - 10.1155/2018/2178469
DO - 10.1155/2018/2178469
M3 - Article
SN - 2314-6133
VL - 2018
SP - 2178469
EP - 2178410
JO - BioMed Research International
JF - BioMed Research International
ER -