A Geriatric Perspective on Oncology Care

Abstract

Cancer is primarily a disease of older adults. There is substantial heterogeneity in older adults’ health status, including differences in cognitive status, functional abilities, and social circumstances for each individual. Cancer treatments may substantially affect patients’ physical, cognitive, psychological, and social well-being. Management choices among older adults diagnosed with cancer requires informed shared decision-making. This process involves several considerations including discerning remaining life expectancy, age-specific cancer mortality with and without treatment, physiologic reserve, patient and family goals of treatment, risks and benefits of treatments, and feasibility/burden of available treatments. This chapter provides a summary of the literature in geriatric oncology and outlines an approach and framework to guide cancer management decisions for older adults.