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Table 1 Summary of main findings, with examples

From: Clinical decision making in cancer care: a review of current and future roles of patient age

Category

Factor

Example

Context

Access

Age influences how fast patients are referred to specialized care

Incidence

Strong association between increasing age and increasing incidence rates for cancer

Research

Participants in clinical trials often younger than actual disease population

Screening

Strict age cut-offs for inclusion in public screening programs

Guidelines

Clinical guidelines use age thresholds when recommending treatment

Patient

Physiology

Age-related declines in CYP enzymes responsible for hepatic drug metabolism

Tumor biology

Proportion of ER and HER2 status in breast cancer varies between age groups

Comorbidity

Association between increasing age and increasing number of comorbidities

Receptivity

Physicians’ recommendations are more influential for older patients

Intervention

Quality

Older patients tend to receive substandard treatment

Prediction

Risk prediction tools use age for estimations

Treatment outcome

High age is often a predictor of decreased survival