Abstract
With an increasingly aged population, many patients will present with cancer in their
80s and 90s. Although some may be very fit, frail individuals will require the input
of geriatricians to aid in the assessment of co-existing morbidity, in an attempt
to assess those most likely to benefit from active treatment of their cancer, and
those in whom the ‘giants of geriatric medicine’ require special consideration before
undergoing definitive cancer therapy. The role of the geriatrician in assessment and
management of such patients, together with communication and end of life care, may
be more important in ensuring a good quality of life, than the cancer therapy itself.
Whilst numbers of geriatricians will not be adequate to care for all elderly patients
with cancer, a variety of assessment scales will help target financial and manpower
resources to those most at risk.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 13, 2007
Accepted:
July 31,
2007
Received in revised form:
July 24,
2007
Received:
March 28,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
