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From your URL > Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, while less than 2% are younger t

From your URL > Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, while less than 2% are younger than 45. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 70. [honest question] Could this have any impact on the perceived priority of studying lung cancer? (i.e., you're already near EOL when diagnosed with it?)

PostOnce 9y ago
65 isn't so near EOL, the average life expectancy for a 65 year old woman is 20 years, and 18 for a man[1]. 20 years is a long time... everything you do between 15 and 35? The majority of life's accomplishments for most -- you could do that all over again between 65 and 85, now with the capital and experience to do something interesting. I think computer-assisted medical developments might push that out another 5 years in the next decade or two; so the life expectancy is 25 instead of 20 from age 65. [1] https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html
- richforrester 9y ago
  > everything you do between 15 and 35? The majority of life's accomplishments for most I was having a great day.
  - snakeboy 9y ago
    > you could do that all over again between 65 and 85, now with the capital and experience to do something interesting. No reason for your day to be spoiled!
    - richforrester 9y ago
      :) It was a bit of a bluff. I'm loving 35 as much as I loved 18. Life's good when your biggest worry is elevated blood pressure.
  - ams6110 9y ago
    Why does that spoil it. It's clearly not true. Most people are just starting to get life figured out at 35. Most 35-year-olds haven't accomplished all that much yet.
- tpallarino 9y ago
  True, but given this person is 65 with lung cancer, I'd imagine that life expectancy would be much lower, even assuming remission.
- paulddraper 9y ago
  > 65 isn't so near EOL Granted, that's the 33 percentile for age of diagnosis. In the UK at least, median age at death is more like 75 [1]. But...for breast cancer median age of death is also about 75. [2] AFAIK there isn't a dramatic age difference. [1] http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-cancer/mortality#heading-One http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-s... [2] http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer/mortality#heading-Three http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-s...
  - eatbitseveryday 9y ago
    > median age Not to be picky, but the US stats are mean, which is different from the median.
    - dx034 9y ago
      But median should be the one to use I guess? Or is there any reason to prefer the mean for life expectancy?
      - eatbitseveryday 9y ago
        Median makes sense to me :) I was just pointing out the discrepancy -- cannot (should not) specifically make a contrast between median of one data set and mean of another.

PostOnce 9y ago

65 isn't so near EOL, the average life expectancy for a 65 year old woman is 20 years, and 18 for a man[1]. 20 years is a long time... everything you do between 15 and 35? The majority of life's accomplishments for most -- you could do that all over again between 65 and 85, now with the capital and experience to do something interesting. I think computer-assisted medical developments might push that out another 5 years in the next decade or two; so the life expectancy is 25 instead of 20 from age 65. [1] https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html

richforrester 9y ago
> everything you do between 15 and 35? The majority of life's accomplishments for most I was having a great day.
- snakeboy 9y ago
  > you could do that all over again between 65 and 85, now with the capital and experience to do something interesting. No reason for your day to be spoiled!
  - richforrester 9y ago
    :) It was a bit of a bluff. I'm loving 35 as much as I loved 18. Life's good when your biggest worry is elevated blood pressure.
- ams6110 9y ago
  Why does that spoil it. It's clearly not true. Most people are just starting to get life figured out at 35. Most 35-year-olds haven't accomplished all that much yet.
tpallarino 9y ago
True, but given this person is 65 with lung cancer, I'd imagine that life expectancy would be much lower, even assuming remission.
paulddraper 9y ago
> 65 isn't so near EOL Granted, that's the 33 percentile for age of diagnosis. In the UK at least, median age at death is more like 75 [1]. But...for breast cancer median age of death is also about 75. [2] AFAIK there isn't a dramatic age difference. [1] http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/lung-cancer/mortality#heading-One http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-s... [2] http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer/mortality#heading-Three http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-s...
- eatbitseveryday 9y ago
  > median age Not to be picky, but the US stats are mean, which is different from the median.
  - dx034 9y ago
    But median should be the one to use I guess? Or is there any reason to prefer the mean for life expectancy?
    - eatbitseveryday 9y ago
      Median makes sense to me :) I was just pointing out the discrepancy -- cannot (should not) specifically make a contrast between median of one data set and mean of another.