Declining Cancer Mortality Rates and the Elderly

The recent good news that cancer mortality has dropped dramatically in the United States is good news for the geriatric population as well.

One must remember that more than 50% of cancers are diagnosed in the elderly.  This means that geriatric mortality is in decline.  The reasons are several:

First, despite arguments to the contrary, many older people are participating in cancer screening.  They are getting mammograms and colonoscopies well into their eighties and even nineties.  Interestingly, one geriatrician asked me recently at what age I would discontinue routine mammograms.  My response was — never!  Mammograms are a non-invasive and effective way of detecting a bad disease, allowing for early treatment, even if the choice of treatment is non-aggressive.  I would say the same for colonoscopies.

As the elderly participate in screenings, their cancers are being detected sooner, and are potentially curable.

A second, important reason that mortality is declining has to do with more effective treatment options, especially for breast, colon, and prostate cancers, along with myeloma and lymphoma–all of these malignancies common in the elderly.

We need to redouble our efforts to convince the elderly that they should be screened, and once a cancer is detected, carefully assessed for proper treatment options.