Open AccessThe elderly cancer patient: the interplay between age and clinical decision-making
Author(s) -
T. Di Valentin,
Timothy R. Asmis
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of solid tumors
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-4075
pISSN - 1925-4067
DOI - 10.5430/jst.v2n4p63
Subject(s) - medicine , geriatric oncology , comorbidity , affect (linguistics) , clinical trial , cancer , clinical oncology , geriatrics , gerontology , randomized controlled trial , population , oncology , intensive care medicine , psychiatry , psychology , environmental health , communication
Oncology affects millions of elderly patients. Despite this significant and growing population, there are few randomized trials in geriatric oncology. As a result, the treatment of this age group is often controversial. The physician often faces many unanswered questions regarding the best treatment strategy for his or her elderly patients. This article aims to demonstrate how the lack of research in the area of geriatric oncology represents a barrier to treatment decisions. Further, we will describe the interaction between age, comorbidity and cancer, and how these variables can affect treatment and outcomes in the elderly.