[Repercussion of age on management of neoplastic patients in an Internal Medicine Service].
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether age is a factor affecting the management of patients diagnosed with neoplastic disease in an internal medicine service.


METHODS
Prospective study of 388 patients diagnosed with cancer in the internal medicine service of a large public health teaching hospital. We evaluated clinical characteristics, diagnostic procedures, types and stage of neoplasm, referral after hospital discharge and treatment. A comparative study based on age was performed between patients 65 years older and patients under this age.


RESULTS
The 388 cancer patients accounted for 12% of hospital admissions in our service. Among the total, 62% were > or = 65 years old. Constitutional syndrome, the most frequently associated symptom and the main reason for the consultation, was more common in the > or = 65-year-old group. Lung cancer was predominant in men and hematologic neoplasms in women. Patients > or = 65 were referred more frequently to internal medicine physicians, general practitioners and home palliative assistance services (p < 0.05) and they received only palliative treatment in a greater percentage of cases (50% vs. 37%, p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of neoplasms in our service was high (12%), with a considerable percentage of patients in advanced phases of the disease (83%). Age was not related to diagnostic methods nor was it determinant in the staging, but it did have repercussions on treatment; patients > or = 65 received palliative treatment alone more often than younger patients.
Ruiz
E
E
Servicios de Medicina Interna y Medicina Preventiva, Hospital General Universatario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona.
Alegre
J
J
Len
O
O
Armadans
L M
LM
Recio
J
J
Alemán
C
C
Fernández de Sevilla
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies