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Older adults are underrepresented in cancer clinical trials1,2. Though some are excluded due to having more comorbidities than their younger counterparts, others decline participation because of an already high healthcare burden.

"A decade of reporting on SIOG Annual Conferences and the deliberations of the prostate cancer Task Force gave me a good understanding of what to expect when I was diagnosed with the tumour. Even so, the change from elderly writer to elderly patient required some adjustment!" - Rob Stepney

The term, “ageism” was created in 1969 by the gerontologist Robert Butler to define age-related prejudice, covering all age groups.

The number of patients with cancer aged 65 years and older will increase in next several decades. Approximately 25% of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are aged 70 years and older.

At present, older adults are the majority of the cancer population, including low and middle-income countries. They suffer in a disproportionate manner from inequity...

Patients undergoing major cancer interventions such as surgical, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy are prone to the adverse effects of their cancer, as well as side effects of cancer treatments.

In 1847 Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis clearly demonstrated that hand washing prevented deaths of surgical patients.

Geriatric oncology is gaining increasing momentum as a subspecialty ensuring comprehensive care for older adults with cancer.

The COVID 19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on many medically compromised individuals including cancer patients.

Our immune system is designed to protect us not just from infections but also from cancer. In fact, the immune system has been recognized as one of the hallmarks of cancer with intense research worldwide.