http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Despite more than two-thirds of lung cancer cases being diagnosed in people 65 years or older, there have been few trials of treatments in this age group, and it is not known if the standard treatment for patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—combined chemoradiotherapy—is suitable for elderly patients. However, new research published Online First in The Lancet Oncology shows that giving a daily low-dose of the chemotherapy drug carboplatin at the same time as radiotherapy significantly prolongs survival in elderly patients compared with radiotherapy alone. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-chemotherapy-elderly-patients-lung-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 21 May 2012 18:30:02 EST news256816023 Tuberculosis independently predicts death from lung cancer in the elderly, according to a new study from researchers in Hong Kong. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-tuberculosis-lung-cancer-mortality-elderly.html Cancer Mon, 21 May 2012 08:50:08 EST news256808986 The experimental drug ibrutinib (PCI-32765) shows great promise for the treatment of elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to interim findings from a clinical trial. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-experimental-agent-older-people-chronic.html Cancer Wed, 16 May 2012 18:00:04 EST news256406942 Barcelona, Spain: New research showing that almost half of 13,000 patients with head and neck cancers had other health-related problems at the same time is one of the presentations in a special session at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31) [1] today (Friday). The session will highlight the effect of the demographic time bomb caused by an increasingly ageing population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-cancer-elderly-demographic.html Cancer Fri, 11 May 2012 09:26:06 EST news255947153 (HealthDay) -- The widely used class of cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins may help elderly patients with high blood pressure avoid developing atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm abnormality tied to stroke. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-statins-irregular-heartbeat-elderly.html Cardiology Thu, 10 May 2012 05:50:01 EST news255844496 (HealthDay) -- Hemiarthroplasty with the cemented Exeter implant provides pain relief comparable to hemiarthroplasty with the uncemented Alloclassic implant in elderly patients with a displaced femoral neck fracture, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-hip-outcomes-similar-withwithout-cement.html Surgery Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:30:02 EST news254490896 Commonly prescribed anti-depressants appear to be doing patients more harm than good, say researchers who have published a paper examining the impact of the medications on the entire body. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-evidence-anti-depressants-good.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:16:24 EST news254484975 Sheffield researchers are investigating ways to improve the treatment and survival rate of elderly patients diagnosed with breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-bridging-gap-treatment-older-women.html Cancer Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:46:18 EST news254483172 (HealthDay) -- Low nutritional assessment scores, poor mobility, and advanced disease predict early death after chemotherapy initiation among elderly patients with cancer, according to a study published online April 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-nutrition-mobility-early-death-elderly.html Cancer Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:00:01 EST news253892175 (Medical Xpress) -- To provide elderly, hospitalized patients with the best care possible, the medical community needs to reevaluate its reliance on medical technologies, says Bruce J. Naughton, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo and a specialist in geriatrics, which deals specifically with the problems of aging. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-elderly-patients-intervention-geriatrics-specialist.html Health Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:31:19 EST news253776647 Elderly patients who undergo thyroid surgery are at a much higher risk than their younger counterparts for serious cardiac, pulmonary and infectious complications, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study findings challenge long-held beliefs that thyroidectomy carries the same risk level of postoperative complications for both older and younger patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-elderly-thyroid-surgery-patients-postoperative.html Surgery Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:39:27 EST news252225557 Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and a multicenter team of investigators have found that carotid artery stenting (CAS) is safe and effective in patients age 70 and older. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-carotid-artery-stenting-safe-elderly.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:43:43 EST news251984615 You might have heard of warming up for a football match, but researchers from the University of Sydney are hoping that warming up for a flu vaccine could improve its effectiveness and reduce illness and death in the elderly. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-flu-vaccine-boost-effectiveness.html Health Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:50:01 EST news250835785 The majority of institutionalized elderly female patients are vitamin D deficient and there is an inverse association of vitamin D deficiency and mortality, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-vitamin-d-deficiency-linked-higher.html Health Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:12:15 EST news250243929 The risk of serious side-effects associated with a common blood-thinning medication are related to elderly patients misunderstanding medical instructions, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-poor-health-literacy-medication-side-effects.html Medications Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:05:58 EST news249822348 Over the past few decades, doctors have noted a surprising trend in cancer of the tonsils and base of the tongue. Though oral cancer previously appeared predominantly in elderly patients with a history of tobacco and alcohol use, it's increasing in younger patients: 30- to 50-year-old nonsmokers with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Fortunately, the newer form of cancer tends to be less aggressive, and the latest approach to treating the tumors can avoid the debilitating consequences of open neck surgery or extensive radiation. Robotic surgery conducted through patients' mouths provides excellent results in removing squamous cell carcinoma at the back of the throat, especially in patients with HPV, a Mayo Clinic study published in the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-robotic-surgery-successful-invasive-hpv-related.html Cancer Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:42:24 EST news249820932 Hip fractures are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. Cervical myelopathy is a common neurological condition that can diminish balance and coordination. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-undiagnosed-neurological-disorders-falls-hip.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:51:02 EST news248021454 New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) highlights the benefits of total knee replacement (TKR) in elderly patients with osteoarthritis, including a lower probability of heart failure and mortality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-knee-patient-mortality-heart-failure.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:58:48 EST news247834718 New research shows that older Americans with cirrhosis have significantly worse health status and greater functional disability compared to those without this potentially deadly disease. In fact, findings now published in Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that elderly patients with cirrhosis require twice the amount of informal caregiving and contribute added strain on the health care system. Given the increase in obesity and aging of those with hepatitis C (HCV), researchers expect the prevalence of cirrhosis to climb in this frail population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-high-disability-health-older-americans.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:40:59 EST news245428829 (Medical Xpress) -- A 99-year-old woman has returned to her daily routine after doctors repaired three separate compression fractures in her spine three times in a month. Specialists at the University of Rochester Medical Center repaired the brittle vertebra using bone glue while the patient was under sedation, which is easier for elderly patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-year-old-woman-regains-mobility-spinal.html Other Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:30:01 EST news243857939 Dr. Alexander K. Smith hopes to provoke a national discussion about being frank with the very elderly about their individual medical prognosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-doctors-patients-realities-aging.html Health Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:10:01 EST news243254104 US baby boomers are fueling a wave of joint replacement surgeries, hoping to use new artificial knees and hips to stay active as they get older. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-baby-boomers-joint.html Other Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:40:01 EST news242228314 Researchers leading a clinical trial said that transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation (a-TAVI) may be inferior to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in operable elderly patients. However results were only preliminary as the trial was carried out on 70 patients out of a planned 200 before it was terminated early for safety concerns. Results from the STACCATO trial were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-results-staccato-trial-tct.html Cardiology Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:07:39 EST news240167247 In 2008, as part of a larger initiative aimed at reducing preventable hospital errors and lowering costs, Medicare stopped reimbursing for the treatment of injuries related to in-hospital falls. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-link-elderly-patient-hospital-falls.html Health Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:58:01 EST news239025475 Addressing the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, before a patient shows outward signs of cognitive problems, has sometimes been a challenge for physicians and researchers, in part because they have not been using common and specific terms to describe the disease's initial phases. A Mayo Clinic study recommends adding categories to more effectively identify and treat people and give researchers standard definitions to work with. The study is published in this month's issue of the Annals of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-earliest-stages-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:10:50 EST news237546633 Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-medicare-patients-long-term-institutionalization-hospital.html Health Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:09:19 EST news236880550 Since 2007 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) has become an alternative treatment for elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis at high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. At present, durability and hemodynamic performance of transcatheter aortic valves remain unclear. Our single center data of the German Heart Center in Munich demonstrates a sustained improvement of hemodynamic performance up to 3 years after CoreValve implantation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-hemodynamic-results-transcatheter-aortic-valve.html Cardiology Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:38:32 EST news233923080 Results of the EPICA Study (Elderly Patients followed by Italian Centres for Anticoagulation Study), were presented at the ESC Congress 2011 today. This is the largest study on very old patients anticoagulated with Vitamin K antagonists for the prevention of venous thromboembolism and, for the major part (75%), for the prevention of stroke because affected by atrial fibrillation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-dont-afraid-patients-vitamin-antagonists.html Cardiology Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:34:44 EST news233836472 In health care, more choice may not always lead to better choices, particularly for the elderly. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-complex-choices-medicare-advantage-overwhelm.html Health Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:07:54 EST news232859249 Hospitals could reduce health care costs arising from pressure ulcers, commonly known as bedsores, by investing in pressure-reduction mattresses for elderly patients in emergency departments, according to new research from the University of Toronto. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-mattresses-hospital.html Health Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:46:42 EST news232814718