Yancik R, Ries L A
Office of the Director, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD 20892-2292.
Cancer. 1994 Oct 1;74(7 Suppl):1995-2003. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19941001)74:7+<1995::aid-cncr2820741702>3.0.co;2-y.
The elderly experience the major impact of cancer. The incidence rate for those aged 65 and older is 2085.3 per 100,000 as compared with 193.9 per 100,000 for those younger than 65. Overall, 58% of all cancer incidence is in the older segment of the population. Cancer mortality in the elderly now accounts for 67% of all cancer deaths. Data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program for 1985-1989 reveal many salient facts. Older persons have a risk of developing cancer 10 times greater than that for individuals younger than 65. This paper outlines the magnitude of the major cancers that affect the elderly. Incidence and mortality data are presented according to individual tumors (colon, rectum, lung/bronchus, pancreas, stomach, urinary bladder, breast, ovary, and prostate). Demographic data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census focus on the expanding elderly population in the United States and projections for the future. Needs for cancer care and treatment for the elderly, already great, are likely to increase. It is imperative that older persons receive special attention for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment efforts, especially because there is almost always an overlay of other chronic diseases and age-associated declines concurrent with the diagnosis of cancer in the elderly. This paper highlights issues unique to older persons as individuals at high risk for cancer and suggests research strategies that should be made in anticipation of the even greater cancer burden for the elderly as this subset of the population expands.
老年人承受着癌症的主要影响。65岁及以上人群的发病率为每10万人2085.3例，而65岁以下人群的发病率为每10万人193.9例。总体而言，所有癌症发病率的58%发生在老年人群体中。老年人的癌症死亡率目前占所有癌症死亡人数的67%。美国国家癌症研究所1985 - 1989年监测、流行病学和最终结果项目的数据揭示了许多显著事实。老年人患癌症的风险比65岁以下的人高10倍。本文概述了影响老年人的主要癌症的严重程度。按个体肿瘤（结肠、直肠、肺/支气管、胰腺、胃、膀胱、乳腺、卵巢和前列腺）列出了发病率和死亡率数据。美国人口普查局的人口统计数据聚焦于美国不断扩大的老年人口以及未来的预测。老年人对癌症护理和治疗的需求已经很大，而且可能还会增加。老年人在癌症预防、早期诊断和治疗方面必须得到特别关注，尤其是因为在老年人癌症诊断的同时几乎总会伴有其他慢性疾病和与年龄相关的身体机能衰退。本文强调了老年人作为癌症高危个体所特有的问题，并提出了一些研究策略，鉴于这一人群的扩大，预计老年人的癌症负担会更重，应制定这些策略。
