Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1287: Older Cancer Patients during the COVID-19 Epidemic: Practice Proposal of the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group

Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1287: Older Cancer Patients during the COVID-19 Epidemic: Practice Proposal of the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers12051287 Authors: Nam P. Nguyen Vincent Vinh-Hung Brigitta Baumert Alice Zamagni Meritxell Arenas Micaela Motta Pedro Carlos Lara Arthur Sun Myint Marta Bonet Tiberiu Popescu Te Vuong Gokula Kumar Appalanaido Lurdes Trigo Ulf Karlsson Juliette Thariat The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented as it reached all countries in the world within a record short period of time. Even though COVID-19 infection may be just severe in any adults, older adults (65-year-old or older) may experience a higher mortality rate. Among those affected, cancer patients may have a worse outcome compared to the general population because of their depressed immune status. As the health resources of most countries are limited, clinicians may face painful decisions about which patients to save if they require artificial ventilation. Cancer patients, especially the older ones, may be denied supportive care because of their shorter life expectancy. Thus, special considerations should be taken to prevent infection of older cancer patients and to provide them with adequate social support during their cancer treatment. The following proposal was reached: (1) Education of health care providers about the special needs of older cancer patients and their risks of infection. (2) Spe...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Perspective Source Type: research