Treatment of elderly patients affected by lung cancer: Why to treat, when to treat and what we know

In the recent years many advances have been achieved in the field of the treatment of lung cancer, with the development of novel therapeutic pathways due to the knowledge of oncologic drivers involved in the carcinogenesis of the lung, as well as the involvement of new radiotherapic and surgical techniques. Nevertheless, the standard treatment for elderly is still debated, mainly because of an underrepresentation of elderly patients in clinical trials. Herein we try to summarize the main guidelines for the treatment of lung cancer, with particular attention for the elderly patients, what we know and what has changed. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers.