Older bladder cancer patients less likely to have curative treatment

Bladder cancer patients over 70 are less likely to benefit from curative treatment, research shows.

Experts at the University of Sheffield who were funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research assessed the records of roughly 3,300 bladder cancer patients who were diagnosed in Sheffield between 1994 and 2009.

The researchers were aiming to see how age, type of bladder cancer and treatment impacted the chances of surviving the condition.

It was found that 52 per cent of patients under 60 received potentially curative treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy in comparison with 34 per cent of those in their 70s and just 12 per cent of people over 80.

Findings also indicated that patients over 70 were more likely to die of bladder cancer than younger patients.

Specialists believe that the higher number of deaths in those over 70 is down to a higher proportion of more aggressive tumours. These people were also less likely to receive radical treatments such as radiotherapy or surgery to remove the bladder and nearby organs.

Mr James Catto, study author and consultant urological surgeon at the University of Sheffield, said: "Even though it appears that older patients are more likely to have aggressive tumours, our findings suggest that not enough older patients are being offered treatments that could increase their chance of survival.

"What’s very worrying is this conservative approach to treating older patients appears to be affecting the life expectancy of this group, something that doctors must work hard to combat."

Dr Kathryn Scott, head of research funding at Yorkshire Cancer Research, also commented on the research, noting that the age of bladder cancer patients in Sheffield has an impact on how they are treated.

"This has a considerable effect on mortality rates in elderly bladder cancer patients and Yorkshire, along with the rest of the UK, is going to have to change to address this striking difference," Ms Scott noted.

Posted by Ben Evans