The treatment of elderly patients with colorectal cancer:A step towards personalised management

Each year, colorectal cancer is accounting for about 12.000-14.000 new diagnoses. More than half of patients is aged 70 years or older. The treatment of colorectal cancer mostly consists of surgical resection of the tumour. In some cases, neo-adjuvant (i.e. before surgery) radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy is required. Developments in the treatment of colorectal cancer have significantly improved outcomes in the elderly. As a result, most elderly patients can safely undergo optimal treatment. However, within the elderly population, there is a wide variety in health status, preferences and treatment goals. Therefore, extra attention is needed to tailor treatment. In this thesis, the current treatment outcomes of elderly colorectal cancer patients are evaluated. In addition, this thesis investigated how the treatment of elderly patients could be optimised, by improving patient selection and peri-operative care and by exploring alternative treatment options if surgery is not possible or preferred