Newswise — Managing a cancer diagnosis is difficult for any patient but it can be especially challenging for the older population.
“Approximately 60 percent of cancer diagnoses and 70 percent of cancer mortalities occur in patients over the age of 65,” said Rodrigo Erlich, M.D., a medical oncologist at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. “Despite the high proportion of elderly cancer patients, treatment for older patients is often difficult and very different than treatment for younger patients.”
The older patient traditionally is contending with other health issues, is taking multiple medications, and is struggling to live independently, Dr. Erlich said. These factors complicate the process of developing a treatment plan to combat the cancer.
Treatments can include combinations of surgery, drugs, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but these processes may have side effects that can affect the physical and mental health of this population.
“Open discussions between geriatric patients and their physicians regarding treatment goals and options can help both sides work through the issues as they devise a treatment plan,” said Dr. Erlich.
Dr. Erlich and his colleague, Syed M. Kalim, M.D., a hematologist and medical oncologist at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, are developing a geriatric cancer program to help provide specialized care to older cancer patients.
The program will allow patients to meet with a medical oncologist, a geriatrician, a social worker and a nutritionist, all of whom will work together to develop a comprehensive treatment and management plan. This customized plan will then be presented and discussed with the patient, the patient’s family and the patient’s primary physician before treatment begins.
The program, which Drs. Erlich and Kalim plan to launch in the next few months, will be the only comprehensive care program in Northeast Pennsylvania designed specifically for senior cancer patients.
“We are extremely excited about developing a geriatric oncology program, and providing the older population with optimal cancer care that is tailored to their special needs,” Dr. Erlich said.
About Geisinger Health SystemFounded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.) is one of the nation’s largest integrated health services organizations. Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org
RSS