It has always been said that age is just a number. So why in the 21st century when we have people in their twilight years who are fit and active, is age coming into question when it comes to treatment?

According to Macmillan Cancer Support, too many older patients are being assessed on their age alone and not their overall fitness.

“I think it is dreadful,” says Bradford pensioner’s champion, Jean Walker, chairman of Bradford and District Senior Power.

She says they are introducing services to help older people live longer, yet when it comes to getting treatment it appears it may be a lottery due to age.

“Where is the dignity in all this? Surely you should be giving them help and support?” asks Jean.

Cancer survivor Tina Watkin, leader of the Bradford Writer’s Circle and membership secretary of Bradford U3A, who beat breast and bowel cancer in 2011, says: “I am 70 this year and I am getting in that bracket, but I felt I was looked after. It is quite frightening in a sense that the breast screening stops at a certain age. Because it runs in my family I am monitored, but if I wasn’t I would be worried.”

Tina also questions what age is deemed to be an age when people are classed as being too old for treatment. “It is totally ageist,” she adds.

“They could have thought with me ‘she is over 60’ – a lot of these things happen when you get older, but you have paid into the National Health.”

Macmillan Cancer Support’s comments come as new research from the charity and the National Cancer Intelligence Network found that tens of thousands of pensioners who have been diagnosed with cancer have survived for at least a decade.

More than 130,000 people in the UK have survived for at least ten years after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 65 or above, the charity says, including more than 8,000 patients who were diagnosed at 80 and over.

But for many common cancers – including prostate, breast, lung, stomach, ovary and kidney cancers – the UK and Ireland have a lower five-year survival rate than the rest of Europe, a spokesman said.

“It’s wrong to write off older people as too old for treatment,” says Macmillan Cancer Support’s chief executive, Ciaran Devane.

“With a proper assessment and appropriate treatment, our research shows that many older cancer patients can live for a long time and can even be cured.

“While it’s good news that so many older people are benefiting from treatment, many thousands more could live longer if our survival rates for over-65s matched those in comparable countries.

“The barriers to getting treatment – which include age discrimination and inadequate assessment methods – must be tackled now so more older people can survive cancer and live for many years.”

Dr Michael Crawford, consultant medical oncologist for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, says: “The treatment for all our cancer patients is discussed at multi- disciplinary team meetings and we would always take into account the individual's medical state. A decision not to offer treatment would be made if the patient was too frail – but not simply because of their age. We are very meticulous on that."