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Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Cancer and older adult patient care
Anne M Meehan1, Lena Kassab1, Haixia Qin1
1Division of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Abstract:
Cancer occurs most frequently in patients aged 65 and older. With the increasing age of the world's population, there will be a significant increase in cancer diagnoses in older adults. Aging imposes a wide variety of physiological responses, comorbidities, and ailments, but older patients are less represented in clinical studies. Specific needs of older patients with cancer often go under-recognized and consequently unmet. In this review, common diagnoses that can affect the outcomes of this population, including frailty, malnutrition, and delirium, are discussed. Areas that need further research to improve the care of geriatric cancer patients, particularly in the hospital settings, are also identified.
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