Cancer burden in the aged : An epidemiologic and demographic overview

✍ Scribed by Rosemary Yancik

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 309 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19971001)80:7<1273::aid-cncr13>3.0.co;2-4

✦ Synopsis

Aging (NIA)/NCI SEER Study on Comorbidity and Cancer in the Elderly; and NCI cancer prevalence estimates. Data on the aging population demonstrate an unprecedented expansion of the segment of the population aged ¢65 years. By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be aged ¢65 years. Because cancer incidence and mortality rates are highest in persons aged ¢65 years, expansion of this age group takes on great importance for medical professionals who provide treatment to older aged cancer patients. In addition, older aged cancer patients are likely to have preexisting conditions at diagnosis, creating a special clinical challenge. There is an urgent need to better understand the influence of aging on the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Clinicians who treat older persons (geriatricians, oncologists, and other health professionals) can benefit from the integration of the knowledge and approaches of each others' fields. The foundation for this multidisciplinary effort is linked with the education and training of future clinicians.