The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has released a new resource to help patients and caregivers understand how to tailor cancer care for aging populations.
“The medical advances we’ve seen in cardiology and infectious disease are a huge triumph; because we are better at treating infections and heart disease, people are living longer, which means they are facing cancer in later years. We are seeing more and more people being treated for cancer at an advanced age,” explained Efrat Dotan, MD, Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, Chair, NCCN Guidelines® Panel for Older Adult Oncology.
Dr. Dotan added, “We need to carefully assess any patient over 65, because there can be a huge range in areas such as memory function, physical ability, or treatment interactions with other medications and conditions. This resource explains what support is needed and suggests how to talk to your doctor about it.”
Issues Specific to an Older Population
“Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a hard blow, and it can be very isolating at any age, but especially for older adults who need support and validation they can’t get very easily. I hope these guidelines can be a helping hand that takes away some of those lonely feelings,” said Glenn Sykes, Patient Advocate, NCCN Guidelines® Panel for Older Adult Oncology. “Even though I had my own cancer experience 8 years prior… caring for my mother, who was diagnosed with cancer at 95, presented me with many unique issues. For example, the issue of explaining treatment to someone with dementia. Having these guidelines would have been a tremendous support, and it’s my hope that they are helpful for anyone who finds themself in a similar situation.”
“The more informed a person can be, the better care they’re going receive, because they’re going to ask better questions,” said Louise C. Walter, MD, UCSF Chief of Geriatrics, Member of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Vice-Chair, NCCN Guidelines for Older Adult Oncology. “We all age differently. People should really be talking with their doctor about what makes sense for them as an individual, with their specific health situations, and come up with the best plan that's not based on chronologic age, but on what’s most important to them.”
Dr. Walter added, “These patient guidelines help explain how to determine the right treatment for the right person based on their unique situation and preferences.”
Information That Is Easy to Understand
Both the clinical and patient version of the guidelines include easy-to-understand information about which assessment tools are available and how they should be used to help make decisions. They flag ways to support people with cognition issues, or at higher risk for falls. They are geared toward anyone diagnosed with cancer over the age of 65 but could be relevant for younger patients with additional medical concerns. Although the likelihood of side effects and comorbidities increase with age, the guidelines stress there is a wide range of mental and physical fitness that people can experience well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond.
The NCCN Guidelines for Patients are updated every year in both English and Spanish. The series includes more than 75 resources covering nearly every type of cancer, plus prevention, screening, and supportive care topics like survivorship, fatigue, and distress management. They use plain language and images so everybody can play an informed, active role in making treatment decisions.
The NCCN Guidelines for Patients for Older Adults with Cancer are available for free at NCCN.org/patientguidelines or via the NCCN Patient Guides for Cancer App. They are made possible through funding from the NCCN Foundation.
