Critical reviews in oncology/hematology
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Crit. Rev. Oncol. Hematol. · Feb 2008
Multicenter StudyShall we operate? Preoperative assessment in elderly cancer patients (PACE) can help. A SIOG surgical task force prospective study.
A number of elderly cancer patients do not receive standard surgery for solid tumors because they are considered unfit for treatment as a consequence of inaccurate estimation of the operative risk. To tailor treatment to onco-geriatric series, oncologists are now beginning to use a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). This study investigates the value of an extended CGA in assessing the suitability of elderly patients for surgical intervention. ⋯ PACE represents a valuable tool in enhancing the decision process concerning the candidacy of elderly cancer patients for surgical intervention and can reduce inappropriate age-related inequity in access to surgical intervention. It is recommended that PACE be used routinely in surgical practice.
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Crit. Rev. Oncol. Hematol. · Feb 2008
ReviewDepression and cancer: an unexplored and unresolved emergent issue in elderly patients.
Despite the high prevalence of depressive disorders in cancer patients and elderly people, the topic of depression in elderly cancer patients still remains unexplored. This emerges from a systematic review of the literature conducted to investigate issues of depression, diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment and their complex neuroimmunobiological interactions. Indeed, it becomes apparent that depression in elderly patients with cancer may have a peculiar phenomenology. ⋯ Immune dysfunction may represent a common pathogenic ground of depression, cancer and aging. This may have important implications for treatment. In the near future, we need to develop validated mood disorder diagnoses and verify antidepressant treatment efficacy for elderly cancer patients with depression in order to improve their clinical outcome and quality of life.