Geriatric assessment for the older adult with cancer

The aging population in the United States and worldwide Cancer is a disease associated with aging. Approximately 60 percent of cancer incidence and 70 percent of cancer mortality occur in adults over 65 years of age.1 Thus the principles of geriatrics are particularly relevant in today’s field of oncology and will become even more relevant as the United States and world populations age. Over the past century, the population of individuals aged 65 years and older grew 10-fold, increasing from 3.1 million in the year 1900 to 35 million in the year 2000.2 This number is expected to double from 2000 to 2030 as baby boomers (born 1946–1964) start to reach age 65 in 2011 (Figure 1.1). By 2030, the population aged 65 years and older is projected to account for almost 20 percent (about one in five) of the population.2 Along with the increase in the absolute number of older adults, life expectancy is also increasing. From 1900 to 2000, average life expectancy in theUnited States increased from 47.3 to 76.9 years.2 After 2030, the population considered to be the oldest old (aged 85 years and older) is projected to increase rapidly as baby boomers reach and surpass age 85. Similar growth in the older population is projected to take place across the world. In the year 2000, 420 million people worldwide were aged 65 years and older, representing 7 percent of the world's population.

Duke Scholars

Author Harvey Jay Cohen Medicine, Geriatrics