Anal cancer is an uncommon malignancy, however, its incidence has been increasing worldwide, including among older adults. The care of older patients with anal cancer requires a multidisciplinary and comprehensive team approach to ensure improved outcomes and maintenance of quality of life, and the geriatric assessment should be a key component in the evaluation of every older patient with anal cancer. Despite older adults representing a large proportion of patients with anal cancer, they were underrepresented in trials that defined currently accepted standard therapies, including definitive chemoradiotherapy. Nonetheless, data from retrospective studies suggest that fit older patients with anal cancer should receive standard treatment similarly to their younger counterparts. This review describes the current knowledge regarding the management of anal cancer in older adults, including geriatric assessment, localized, recurrent/persistent, and metastatic disease.
Keywords: Abdominoperineal resection; Anal cancer; Chemoradiotherapy; Geriatric assessment; Human papillomavirus; Older adults.
Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.