Dementia and Cancer
With a global aging population, by 2030, 70% of all cancers will occur in elderly people, and 63 million people worldwide will have dementia. The emerging evidence suggests that there is an inverse relationship between cancer and neurodegeneration, although the exact mechanisms are still unclear. Advances in the field of genetics will provide further clues toward the underpinnings of two conditions seen at opposite ends of a spectrum – cell proliferation and degeneration. A diagnosis of cancer in a person suffering from dementia poses a number of unique clinical challenges that many oncology departments are ill-equipped to deal with. People with dementia are diagnosed with cancer much later than cognitively intact people and have much poorer outcomes – this raises ethical challenges for clinicians about treatment decisions. Future research on cognition and cancer will have to focus on the growing population of older adults. Standardization of cognitive testing as part of physical health work-ups and frailty screens for older adults could increase recognition of cognitive impairment at an earlier stage. Liaison psychiatry teams span acute oncology and mental health services and serve to integrate treatment and care planning, thereby improving QoL for people with comorbid conditions.
Conclusion & Future Perspective
With a global aging population, by 2030, 70% of all cancers will occur in elderly people, and 63 million people worldwide will have dementia. The emerging evidence suggests that there is an inverse relationship between cancer and neurodegeneration, although the exact mechanisms are still unclear. Advances in the field of genetics will provide further clues toward the underpinnings of two conditions seen at opposite ends of a spectrum – cell proliferation and degeneration. A diagnosis of cancer in a person suffering from dementia poses a number of unique clinical challenges that many oncology departments are ill-equipped to deal with. People with dementia are diagnosed with cancer much later than cognitively intact people and have much poorer outcomes – this raises ethical challenges for clinicians about treatment decisions. Future research on cognition and cancer will have to focus on the growing population of older adults. Standardization of cognitive testing as part of physical health work-ups and frailty screens for older adults could increase recognition of cognitive impairment at an earlier stage. Liaison psychiatry teams span acute oncology and mental health services and serve to integrate treatment and care planning, thereby improving QoL for people with comorbid conditions.
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