NHS is biased against the elderly

London: Elderly cancer sufferers die in greater numbers than younger patients because of NHS ageism, official figures suggest.

Only half of sufferers aged 75 and over will live more than a year, compared with the three quarters of those in middle age who can expect to do so.

Campaigners warn thousands of patients are written off by doctors who assume they will prove too frail for life saving treatment. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in 2009 only 53 per cent of patients over 75 diagnosed with cancer were alive one year later. By comparison 74 per cent of those diagnosed aged 55 to 64 survived for this length of time. Many are likely to live far longer.

Macmillan Cancer Support estimates that up to 15,000 patients over 75 are dying prematurely every year — based on comparisons with survival rates in other European countries.

Mike Hobday, director of policy and research at the charity, said: "We know older people are less likely to receive curative treatment than younger patients.

"We are concerned that treatment decisions are too often being made on the basis of a patient's age, regardless of how fit or frail they may be," he added.

— Daily Mail