WASHINGTON, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. adults over the age of 65 typically get less aggressive treatment for cancer, depression and heart disease because of society's age bias.
"There is a persistent bias ... that works against the best interests of older Americans," said Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research, a Washington-based nonprofit group, the Boston Globe reported.
University of Vermont researchers showed aggressive chemotherapy reduced deaths from breast cancer and recurrences in women over age 65 as much as in younger women. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said age alone should not rule doctors' and patients' decisions about cancer treatment.
"Many older patients are not getting the optimal therapy for their cancer," said Dr. Edward Trimble, of National Cancer Institute. "Bias is part of it."
Trimble said there are real concerns about how frail seniors or those with multiple illnesses would tolerate aggressive treatments, but those decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.
