Abstract
Cancer is one of the most prevalent and disabling health-care conditions affecting people. In the last years, both the overall incidence of tumors and the overall survival of cancer patients have increased and so, most patients having a cancer diagnosis are elderly. Hence, the goals of cancer treatment in older cancer patients must include, along with prolongation of life expectancy, the prevention of functional dependence. Supportive care along with rehabilitation measures represents important and essential steps in the management of these patients. Rehabilitation for older cancer patients may be needed in two major settings, namely that of curable malignancies and a palliative setting in which incurable malignancies have an indolent clinical course.
Moreover, most elderly patients with nervous system tumors have multiple impairments, and rehabilitation treatment should be mandatory during cancer treatment. Indeed, all of these neurological impairments may significantly impact the individual’s physical, cognitive, and emotional capabilities, which significantly compromise quality of life. Various studies showed that rehabilitation therapy results in better outcomes and improvement in the quality of life.
In conclusion, it is of utmost importance to adopt all supportive measures in order to successfully treat vulnerable and unfit elderly patients with cancer and to reduce the risk of functional impairment.
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Brunello, A., Lombardi, G., Zagonel, V. (2018). Rehabilitation Treatment in Older Cancer Patients. In: Masiero, S., Carraro, U. (eds) Rehabilitation Medicine for Elderly Patients. Practical Issues in Geriatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57406-6_51
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