Old age is becoming increasingly part of life, as our Western population continues to push the average age forward. The medical profession is approaching this problem (and surely, it is a problem) in different and often inadequate ways: some are ?age-blind? and ignore the patient?s age in their selection of treatment; others adopt a strict age segregation, make decisions based solely on chronological age and ignore the individual?s strengths and weaknesses. Two years ago, the International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) was founded with the mandate to promote research in cancers of the elderly and education, both of physicians and patients. Longer life expectancy is irrevocably tied to increased cancer incidence; this predicament is not going away.
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