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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer 2023; 12(02): 221-227
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1771441
Review Article

Unmet Needs in Geriatric Oncology

Nikhil Pathi 
1   Department of Medical Oncology, Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Purvish Mahendra Parikh
2   Department of Clinical Hematology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
,
Joyita Banerjee
3   Department of Geriatric Medicine, Venu Geriatric Services, New Delhi, India
,
TVSVGK Tilak 
4   Department of Geriatrics, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India
,
Naganath Narsimhan Prem
5   Department of Geriatric Medicine, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Anupa Pillai
6   Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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Abstract

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Nikhil Pathi

India's population is aging, with the number of people aged 60 and over projected to reach 340 million by 2050. This is expected to lead to an increase in the number of older adults with cancer. Geriatric oncology is a rapidly growing field in India that is facing several challenges. Some of these include inadequate access to cancer screening and early detection programs in elderly, leading to late diagnoses and poor outcomes, lack of specialized geriatric oncology services, cancer-specific treatment guidelines and protocols in elderly, limited availability of treatment options due to accessibility, finances and other logistic issues, lack of trained healthcare professionals with expertise in geriatric oncology, lack of awareness, and access to early integrated palliative care services. There are several challenges faced by elderly in this journey like financial dependency, social isolation, difficulty in transportation to healthcare for treatments, and psychosocial aspects attributed to cancer. Awareness about availability of resources, patient assistance programs to reduce financial burdens, education campaigns, use of telemedicine and telehealth services to bypass transportation issues in remote and underserved areas, and integration of geriatric oncology into mainstream oncology services might be some solutions. Additionally, there is a need for more research on the unique characteristics and needs of older cancer patients in India, as well as the development of culturally appropriate interventions to address these needs. Development of India-specific geriatric assessment scales encompassing medical, psychosocial, and functional problems in elderly identifies areas of vulnerability. A multidisciplinary team-based decision-making is required at various levels. There is a need for increased investment in geriatric oncology research, training, and integrated palliative care services in India. Geriatric oncology is slowly being recognized as a separate subspeciality and more geriatric oncology centers and clinics are being set up in major cities in India that should be the way forward.

Keywords

elderly - frailty - geriatric oncology - assessment tools


Publication History

Article published online:
07 August 2023

© 2023. MedIntel Services Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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