Comorbidity and clinical assessment in geriatric patients with cancer

The developments in preventive and curative medicine, improvement of life conditions and nutrition have rapidly increased the number of elderly people in the general population. Approximately half of all cancer events occur in people 65 years and older. Cancer is the most second cause of all death in this patient population. Aging is a personal phenomenon and physiology may not necessarily be parallel to the chronological age. Elderly people are known to have a higher incidency of both cancer and comorbidity. Cancer patients age 70 and older have the least 3 comorbidities. Decision-making for cancer treatment in geriatric population must first evaluate personal functional capacity. Elderly people are not only older adults; they have unique physiologic features and pharmacological response patterns. Life expectancy and chemotherapy complication risks may be determined by comprehensive geriatric assessment and results of this assessment provide better judgment in the choice of standard or palliative treatment.

Keywords: Comorbidity; comprehensive geriatric assessment; geriatric oncology