Cancer in the elderly.
by the National Institute of cancer.
Bethesda, Maryland, July 7, 2011- PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE /-in many American families, including those of minority populations, people of very different ages living together under one roof. The elderly person in these households is faced with what is known as diseases of old age, which include hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Cancer is a common event among the elderly, and as we age the risk increases, even though no member of our family present the disease. Either a relative or friend living elderly or not with you, know a little about the world of cancer and the elderly can help.
why is presented the cancer in the elderly? Some cancers can be inherited while others are by prolonged exposure to substances that cause cancer, such as those that come from tobacco smoke. But the cancer is possible as we get older and the daily damage to our cells and our genes eventually accumulates. Our body works to repair and control the damage, but when the cells continue to grow and splitting, and do not die when they should, the cancer may form. Of course most of the symptoms of old age are not related to cancer, but the elderly not report unusual changes to their doctors are at risk of not to detect a cancer that begins and which could be treated with success.
Treatment
When a cancer that begins is, there is more likely that the treatment will work. But decisions on how to treat the elderly can rely more on their overall health and your quality of life of his age. The presence of other health problems and medicines taken for them can also affect which treatments of cancer will receive. On the other hand, elderly people who are healthy in general do so well with the majority of treatments, including chemotherapy, as the sick more youth.
The pain can be one of the greatest challenges facing the elderly patients with cancer, that their other ailments or medicines taking may intensify the pain caused by the treatment. It is therefore important that those who care for them are aware of your general State of health and closely monitor their pain and their State of health. Anti-inflammatory steroids (NSAIDs), a class of drugs for pain that are administered frequently, cannot with more likely to cause side effects such as headaches, stomach and head, constipation and confusion in elderly patients. On the other hand, often, these patients do not receive medication opioids (strong medicines for pain, such as oxycodone) as medical professionals and patients themselves consider them dangerous. However, these drugs can be particularly effective in elderly patients who can tolerate them.
for this reason, both relatives of elderly cancer patients, and those who care for them and their doctors should, in consultation with the patient, assess not just any other existing condition of health, but also the quality of their daily lives. This should include, look at the social, emotional, and spiritual life of the patient, which will be affected by the treatment of cancer and the recovery. It is important that patient and their family members (and anyone else to intercede for the patient) ask questions and have discussions with the health care team. A good strategy for achieving this is schedule a family gathering to talk about the patient treatment plan and the quality of life during and after the treatment.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the national cancer program and the national institutes of health (NIH) effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families through research into prevention and cancer biologythe creation of new interventions, and the training and training of new researchers.
