Lung cancer surgery for octogenarians: an option for select patients only?

The incidence of primary lung cancer largely depends on aging as well as smoking habits. In western and East Asian countries, the number of older people is increasing (1). In parallel, thoracic surgeons have recently been treating more octogenarians with lung cancer. Pulmonary resection for patients with early lung cancer is still the mainstay of curative treatment, and there is an increasing need for safer and more effective surgical treatment for older patients with non-small cell lung cancer.