Table 3.

Physiologic changes of chemotherapy associated with aging in elderly patients with cancer.

Physiologic change	Consequence of chemotherapy
Slower repair of DNA damage	Prolonged toxicity
Reduced stem-cell mass and hematopoiesis	Slow recovery of blood and mucosal cells
Reduced functional reserve of organ systems	Risk for organ failure with additional tissue loss
Reduced gastrointestinal absorptive surfaces, gastric motility, and gastric secretion	Reduced drug absorption
Reduced fat-free mass	Altered drug distribution
Greater anemia	Increased levels of circulating drugs
Decreased liver mass	Reduced drug metabolism
Decreased nephrons mass	Reduced drug excretion

Ref. 12.