New Study Pushes for Improvements to Cancer Care for Seniors

A new study from the American Society of Clinical Oncology published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends all persons age 65 and older get a geriatric assessment when considering whether to undergo chemotherapy, according to Provider Magazine . Analysis showed that fewer than 25 percent of seniors with cancer currently get assessments to examine functional abilities, psychological status, nutrition, cognition, social circumstances, and coexisting medical conditions. The researchers note as the baby boomer generation ages, so do the number of older persons with cancer. They say more evidence-based data is needed to better deal with the unique problems such individuals face compared with younger people with cancer. "The under-representation of older adults in clinical trials places them at risk of receiving inappropriate under- or over-treatment for their cancer, leading to disparities in outcomes," they stress. "For example, fit older subjects are less likely to receive an evidence-based standard of care cancer treatment than younger subjects, while older subjects with both cancer and comorbid conditions are too often treated with therapies with high toxicity rates and low likelihoods of benefit."