Prostate cancer in the elderly

Abstract

With the significant increase of the average lifespan in the industrial world, the number of elderly people, as a proportion of the total population, has risen dramatically. It has been estimated that this trend will accelerate and that, by the year 2020, the number of people aged > 80 years will soar by 135%. With age being the greatest risk factor for prostate cancer, this disease has understandably become one of the greatest public health concerns. Recently, considerable attention has been focused on prostate cancer management in the elderly, with specific emphasis on the question of whether, or not, it should differ from that of younger patients. We thoroughly reviewed the existing evidence on screening, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in the elderly and concluded that age alone should not constitute an obstruction for optimal treatment administration. Physicians treating aged prostate cancer patients should be trained in an individualized approach, based on clinical performance status and comorbitities.