Posts by tag
geriatric oncology
Matti Aapro: An Oncologist Who Needs No Introduction
If you have ever stepped into a major oncology congress, you’ve likely felt his presence before you saw him. His voice, distinct and commanding, cuts through a room not with volume, but with purpose. His laugh, genuine and disarming, puts…
The voice of the older adult: how to make it count in decisions about their care
Involving patients as equal partners in choosing between treatment options is particularly important when there is considerable uncertainty about how the options could affect their survival and quality of life. Such is often the case in treating older patients, who…
Older adults with advanced cancers may do better on modified regimens
Lowering the dose and adjusting the schedule may help older adults with advanced cancer better tolerate chemotherapy. The cohort study, published in JAMA Network Open, February 15, found older patients with advanced cancer who underwent primary treatment modification had a…
Geriatric oncology: how physicians in Latin America are personalising treatments and changing attitudes
When Gerardo Silveyra, a retired chemist from Toluca, Mexico, thinks about his recently deceased mother, Guadalupe Contreras, he regrets not having taken her to see a geriatrician sooner. Contreras, who died aged 93, had been “a very active woman,” and…
Improving outcomes in elderly patients taking multiple medications
For older patients with cancer, taking multiple medications can result in toxic chemotherapy side effects and even the need to stop cancer treatment. The cohort study, published in Cancer, 24th January, found cancer patients with one or more potential drug…
Older, frail patients are still being let down by the regulators
Hans Wildiers is frustrated. “This drug is well-tolerated in older persons – this is a very frequent conclusion in publications. And it is often not a correct conclusion,” says the immediate past president of SIOG, the International Society of Geriatric…