The psychosocial impact of cancer on the elderly: a comparison with younger patients.

This report examines the psychosocial impact of cancer in 240 men according to age using a recently developed cancer-specific survey instrument. Overall, younger patients experienced more frequent or severe psychosocial and treatment-related problems than the older patients, especially in relation to work and chemotherapy. In addition, younger patients experienced more difficulty dealing with the health care setting. The authors conclude that the elderly cancer patient experiences less psychosocial disruption from cancer than do younger individuals.