From: Clinical decision making in cancer care: a review of current and future roles of patient age
Category | Factor | Example |
---|---|---|
Context | Access | Age influences how fast patients are referred to specialized care |
Incidence | Strong association between increasing age and increasing incidence rates for cancer | |
Research | Participants in clinical trials often younger than actual disease population | |
Screening | Strict age cut-offs for inclusion in public screening programs | |
Guidelines | Clinical guidelines use age thresholds when recommending treatment | |
Patient | Physiology | Age-related declines in CYP enzymes responsible for hepatic drug metabolism |
Tumor biology | Proportion of ER and HER2 status in breast cancer varies between age groups | |
Comorbidity | Association between increasing age and increasing number of comorbidities | |
Receptivity | Physiciansâ recommendations are more influential for older patients | |
Intervention | Quality | Older patients tend to receive substandard treatment |
Prediction | Risk prediction tools use age for estimations | |
Treatment outcome | High age is often a predictor of decreased survival |