Physiological aging causes qualitative or quantitative immune system decline, also called immunosenescence. Older people with cancer are often ineligible for chemotherapy. The new immunotherapies (with PD1, PDL1 and CTLA4 checkpoint inhibitors) have proven their effectiveness in many tumor types regardless of age and are often better tolerated than chemotherapy. In the older population, the subgroup data from the different pivotal studies show fairly reassuring efficacy and safety data, despite the frequent lack of power given the small population included. There remains, however, some doubt that age may be a risk factor for hyperprogression. Studies focusing on older subjects and dedicated meta-analysis seem necessary to obtain more accurate data.
Keywords: Adverse event; Efficacité; Efficacy; Elderly people; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Inhibiteurs de points de contrôle immuns; Personnes âgées; Tolérance.
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