title: Chronic Diseases among Older Cancer Survivors.
abstract: Objective. To compare the occurrence of pre-existing and subsequent comorbidity among older cancer patients (≥60 years) with older non-cancer patients. Material and Methods. Each cancer patient (n = 3835, mean age 72) was matched with four non-cancer patients in terms of age, sex, and practice. The occurrence of chronic diseases was assessed cross-sectionally (lifetime prevalence at time of diagnosis) and longitudinally (incidence after diagnosis) for all cancer patients and for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer patients separately. Cancer and non-cancer patients were compared using logistic and Cox regression analysis. Results. The occurrence of the most common pre-existing and incident chronic diseases was largely similar in cancer and non-cancer patients, except for pre-existing COPD (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.06-1.37) and subsequent venous thrombosis in the first two years after cancer diagnosis (HR 4.20, 95% CI 2.74-6.44), which were significantly more frequent (P < 0.01) among older cancer compared to non-cancer patients. Conclusion. The frequency of multimorbidity in older cancer patients is high. However, apart from COPD and venous thrombosis, the incidence of chronic diseases in older cancer patients is similar compared to non-cancer patients of the same age, sex, and practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Bus 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deckx
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van den Akker
authors.forename: Job
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Metsemakers
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knottnerus
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schellevis
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buntinx