Prevalence of comorbidity in cancer patients scheduled for systemic anticancer treatment in Austria

SummaryThe purpose of this observational study was to determine the prevalence of comorbid conditions in cancer patients with solid tumours selected for specific treatment at 12  divisions of medical oncology in Austria. Data from 1137 patients were collected using a standardized questionnaire; of these, 1036 datasets were evaluable for further analysis. Data were prospectively collected from patients during an in- or outpatient hospital visit over a 4-month period in 20 11. Of these patients 42% had gastrointestinal cancer, 31% had breast cancer, 9% lung cancer and the remaining had urogenital cancer, sarcoma or other types of rare cancers. Around two-thirds of patients had metastatic disease (59%), confined to a single organ site in 55% of patients. A high propo rtion of patients had a good performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG] 0, 1: 82%). Comorbid conditions were classified according to the Charlson scheme score and were present in 86% of patients with a median age of 64 years. The predominant conditions were cardiovascular di seases (57%), metabolic diseases (44%), endocrinological diseases (30%), gastrointestinal diseases (26%), neurological (23%) and respiratory diseases (23%). As has been reported by others we found a clear association between number of comorbid conditions and age. While 60% of the whole population h ad at least 2 comorbidities, most patients of the elderly population (89%) had more than three comorbidities. The hig...
Source: Memo - Magazine of European Medical Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research