Cancer, ageing, multimorbidity and primary care

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Geriatrics
• General Practice
• Public Health

Background:

• Cancer care is complicated by multimorbidity and aging, affecting all stages from prevention to end-of-life care.
• Older adults with multiple conditions often face exclusion from clinical trials, limiting understanding of cancer treatment effectiveness.
• The interplay of aging, physical capacity, and multiple illnesses can delay diagnosis, complicate treatment, and affect survivorship care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the challenges in cancer care for patients with multimorbidity and aging.
• To highlight the limited role of General Practitioners (GPs) in comprehensive cancer care.
• To advocate for better integration of general practice and oncology services for improved patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on cancer care in multimorbid and aging populations.
• Analysis of the impact of multimorbidity on cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
• Examination of the current role of GPs in managing patients with cancer and multiple comorbidities.

Main Results:

• Multimorbidity significantly complicates all aspects of cancer care, from initial detection to palliative support.
• GPs routinely manage multimorbidity but have a limited role in integrated cancer care.
• Clinical trial exclusion criteria for older adults with comorbidities hinder evidence-based treatment strategies.

Conclusions:

• Integrating general practice with oncology services is crucial for holistic patient management.
• Enhanced collaboration can optimize screening, treatment decisions, and survivorship care for patients with cancer and multimorbidity.
• GPs should play a more significant role in end-of-life care for cancer patients, improving overall care coordination and outcomes.