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Cancer and Aging

A Biological, Clinical, and Cultural Analysis

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Book cover Cancer, Culture, and Communication

Conclusions

Cancer will become the leading cause of morbidity and death as the global population ages. While health and health care disparities have been well documented in culturally and linguistically diverse patients with cancer, aging involves unique biological, medical, and social considerations that must be further explored as it also influences cancer prevention and cancer treatment in these populations. Further, even though aging is common to all cultures and latitudes, the cultural context in which the experience occurs varies even within the Western context. As such, cancer specialists must learn to not only account for the functional but also for the cultural diversity of the older population in medical decisions related to cancer prevention and cancer treatment. In addition, use of screening instruments such the CGA also represent a milestone in the management of older individuals. It is also currently being modified to become more cost effective and to provide more precise information related to life expectancy and tolerance of cancer treatment. The increase in cultural diversity in the oncology setting also influences cancer treatment. A clinician must be able to act within the boundaries of cultural competence when ministering to older cancer patients. Cultural specific instruments to assess older individuals are particularly desirable in a multicultural society, but also strive to effectively communicate with these individuals in these populations, their families and significant others. With proper patient selection and information, older individuals may obtain the same degree of benefits from cancer prevention and cancer treatment as younger individuals, and age should never be a criteria for health care discrimination.

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Authors
  1. Lodovico Balducci
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  2. Darlene Johnson
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  3. Claudia Beghe
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

    Rhonda J. Moore

  2. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

    David Spiegel

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© 2004 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

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Balducci, L., Johnson, D., Beghe, C. (2004). Cancer and Aging. In: Moore, R.J., Spiegel, D. (eds) Cancer, Culture, and Communication. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48007-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48007-7_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-306-47885-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-48007-2

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