Quality-of-life in elderly patients with cancer: a short review.
BACKGROUND
Prolongation of survival and maintenance or improvement of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) are the two important goals within the treatment of individual patients. Due to the severity of symptoms and the toxicity of treatment, HRQoL has become a major area of concern when treating cancer patients in general and elderly patients in particular.


METHODS
We present a literature review of HRQoL aspects in elderly patients with cancer and especially address the topic whether impairments in the different tools of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) are associated with decreased HRQoL in elderly cancer patients.


RESULTS
Elderly cancer patients tend to weight their HRQoL as more important than gain in survival, when compared to younger patients. An age-dependent decrease in different scales of HRQoL is reported in patients and normative samples. HRQoL is also a predictor of survival. The variation of HRQoL can be used in trials comparing different treatment options. In individual patients, regular measurement of HRQoL aims to improve patients-centred care. Age related impairments of different areas of CGA are associated with decreased HRQoL in elderly cancer patients.


CONCLUSIONS
HRQoL is an important outcome with elderly cancer patients and should be assessed regularly and thoroughly.
Internal Medicine Clinic II - Department of Haematology and Medical Oncology, Friedrich Schiller University, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747 Jena, Germany. ulrich.wedding@med.uni-jena.de
Ulrich
U
Wedding
Ludger
L
Pientka
Klaus
K
Höffken
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D017741:Survivors