Cognitive dysfunction in patients with small-cell lung cancer: incidence, causes, and suggestions on management.

Cognitive dysfunction is a common occurrence among patients with small-cell lung cancer, with prevalence rates ranging anywhere from 15% to 90%. Although prophylactic cranial irradiation has been described as one culprit to explain these cognitive deficits, other causes also have been implicated. This review provides a summary of the factors that may contribute to cognitive decline in this group of patients and comments upon how cognitive dysfunction or the risk for it might influence patient management.

Oral vinorelbine for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in elderly patients: a phase II trial of efficacy and toxicity.

Purpose: Before now oral vinorelbine has not yet been tested in a cohort of elderly, advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients, even though the intravenous form of this drug provides a reasonable therapeutic option for this group. This trial was conducted to determine the tumor response rate and toxicity profile of oral vinorelbine in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients > or = 65 years of age.

Patient And Methods: Fifty-eight evaluable patients > or = 65 years of age with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled.

Daily activities: exploring their spectrum and prognostic impact in older, chemotherapy-treated lung cancer patients.

Background: Performance scores predict benefits and toxicities from chemotherapy. Among older cancer patients, however, many investigators have empirically called for a detailed assessment of activities of daily living, claiming that the utility of performance scores is limited in this older population. This study's goals were therefore twofold: (1).