The care of older cancer patients in the United Kingdom.

The care of older cancer patients in the United Kingdom. Ecancermedicalscience. 2020;14:1101 Authors: Gomes F, Lewis A, Morris R, Parks R, Kalsi T, Babic-Illamn G, Baxter M, Colquhoun K, Rodgers L, Smith E, Greystoke A, Bayman N, Cree A, Ng C, de Liguori Carino N, Basile S, Moore J, Merchant Z, Swinson D, Parbhoo A, Jones R, Davies E, Danson SJ, Young R, Morgan J, Wyld L, Corrie PG, Doherty GJ, Crawford K, Wright J, Reed M, Ugolini F, Lind M, Cheung KL, Harari D, Simcock R Abstract The ageing population poses new challenges globally. Cancer care for older patients is one of these challenges, and it has a significant impact on societies. In the United Kingdom (UK), as the number of older cancer patients increases, the management of this group has become part of daily practice for most oncology teams in every geographical area. Older cancer patients are at a higher risk of both under- and over-treatment. Therefore, the assessment of a patient's biological age and effective organ functional reserve becomes paramount. This may then guide treatment decisions by better estimating a prognosis and the risk-to-benefit ratio of a given therapy to anticipate and mitigate against potential toxicities/difficulties. Moreover, older cancer patients are often affected by geriatric syndromes and other issues that impact their overall health, function and quality of life. Comprehensive geriatric assessments offer an opportunity to identify and address...
Source: Ecancermedicalscience - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Ecancermedicalscience Source Type: research