Surgical oncology in the elderly

Abstract

Poor cancer-specific outcomes in the elderly group are primarily a surgical failure. Surgeons are insufficiently trained to draw a line between fit and frail patients; this results in over-treatment of the frail patient, as well as under-treatment of the fit one. Communication skills should be improved to better understand the patient’s requests. The timing of the surgical procedure is crucially important; all efforts should be put in place to optimize the patient’s conditions before the surgery takes place.

Keywords:

• Patient-centered care
• elderly cancer patients
• consenting
• communication with older patients
• cancer diagnosis
• treatment plan

Disclosure statement

The Authors declare no conflict of interest in the design, compilation, and submission of their contribution.