Gosney Margot
Institute of Health Sciences, University of Reading, Building 22, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ, United Kingdom.
Eur J Cancer. 2007 Oct;43(15):2153-60. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2007.07.032. Epub 2007 Sep 12.
With an increasingly aged population, many patients will present with cancer in their 80s and 90s. Although some may be very fit, frail individuals will require the input of geriatricians to aid in the assessment of co-existing morbidity, in an attempt to assess those most likely to benefit from active treatment of their cancer, and those in whom the 'giants of geriatric medicine' require special consideration before undergoing definitive cancer therapy. The role of the geriatrician in assessment and management of such patients, together with communication and end of life care, may be more important in ensuring a good quality of life, than the cancer therapy itself. Whilst numbers of geriatricians will not be adequate to care for all elderly patients with cancer, a variety of assessment scales will help target financial and manpower resources to those most at risk.
随着人口老龄化日益加剧，许多80多岁及90多岁的患者会罹患癌症。尽管有些患者可能身体状况良好，但体弱的个体需要老年病医生参与，以协助评估并存的疾病，从而试图评估哪些人最有可能从积极的癌症治疗中获益，以及哪些人在接受确定性癌症治疗前需要特别考虑“老年医学的重大问题”。在确保良好生活质量方面，老年病医生在评估和管理这类患者以及沟通和临终关怀方面所发挥的作用，可能比癌症治疗本身更为重要。虽然老年病医生的数量不足以照顾所有老年癌症患者，但各种评估量表将有助于将财政和人力资源用于那些风险最高的患者。
