New York, NY — Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai\u00a0and the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center\u00a0have found that adults aged 80 and older with early-stage lung cancer can safely undergo surgery and achieve outcomes comparable to younger patients,\u00a0challenging longstanding assumptions about age and cancer treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The findings, published in\u00a0The Lancet Regional Health \u2013 Americas\u00a0(10. 1016\/j.lana.2026. 101428<\/a>), suggest that carefully selected older adults should not be excluded from potentially curative surgical treatment based on age alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n The study, led by Raja M. Flores, MD, Chair of\u00a0the Department of\u00a0Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai\u00a0Health System;\u00a0Claudia Henschke,\u00a0PhD,\u00a0MD,\u00a0Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology and Director of the Early Lung and Cardiac Action Program (ELCAP) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and\u00a0Emanuela\u00a0Taioli, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology at the Icahn School of Medicine, examined surgical outcomes and quality of life in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, comparing those aged 80 and older with younger patients.\u00a0The first authors are\u00a0Rowena Yip, PhD,\u00a0Associate\u00a0Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai;\u00a0and\u00a0Louis Gros, MD,\u00a0Postdoc Fellow,\u00a0Early\u00a0Lung\u00a0and Cardiac Action Program\u00a0at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs our population ages, more patients over 80 are being diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer, yet they are often not\u00a0considered for\u00a0surgery,\u201d said Dr. Flores. \u201cOur findings show that when patients are carefully selected based on their overall health,\u00a0not just their age,\u00a0they can tolerate surgery well and experience excellent long-term outcomes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The study followed 884 patients with early-stage lung cancer, including 114 people who were age 80 or older.\u00a0The researchers found that older patients lived just as long as younger patients after surgery. While some older patients had more complications right after surgery, most patients in both groups felt better over time, and their quality of life improved within a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur\u00a0study highlights the importance of making sure all patients are evaluated based on their overall health, not just their age,\u201d said Dr.\u00a0Taioli. \u201cWe must\u00a0ensure that effective treatments are available to everyone who can\u00a0benefit\u00a0from them. Older adults are often left out of clinical decisions, but our findings show they should have equal access to care that can improve survival and quality of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As people live longer, more adults\u00a0over\u00a080 are\u00a0being diagnosed\u00a0with lung cancer. However, many are not offered surgery because of their age.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe should treat the whole person, not just the number of years they have lived,\u201d Dr. Flores said. \u201cIf a patient is strong enough, surgery can save their life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For patients and families, the message is clear: even if you are over 80, you may still be able to safely have surgery and be cured. For doctors, the study is a reminder to focus on how healthy a patient is overall and not rule out surgery based\u00a0solely\u00a0on age.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEarly detection and thoughtful treatment go hand in hand,\u201d said Dr. Henschke. \u201cWhen lung cancer is found at an early stage, patients (even those over 80) can\u00a0benefit\u00a0from treatments that offer a real chance at\u00a0a\u00a0cure. This study shows that with the right\u00a0approach,\u00a0we can extend both life and quality of life for older adults.\u00a0Additionally,\u00a0screening guidelines should include patients who are over 80 years old based on these findings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Mount Sinai researchers who contributed to this study include Wenchao Ma, Jeffrey Zhu, Jiafang Zhang, Sydney Kantor, Siyang Cai; Andrew J. Kaufman, MD; Andrea S. Wolf, MD; Ardeshir Hakami-Kermani, MD; Daniel Nicastri, MD; Dong-Seok Lee, MD; Kimberly J. Song, MD; Brian Housman, MD; and David F. Yankelevitz, MD, as part of the IELCART (Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment) Investigators, an international collaborative network led by researchers at Mount Sinai Health System.\u00a0<\/p>\n This study was supported by the Simons Foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Full study and list of contributors:\u00a0https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanam\/article\/PIIS2667-193X(26)00058-X\/fulltext<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n