ROLE OF PRIMARY CARE IN BETTER SUPPORTING OLDER PEOPLE WITH CANCER

Most people who become ill with cancer are over 60 years old, and the incidence rate will increase as the population ages. The role of general practice and primary care will become greater with time, as limits of the abilities of specialist cancer and palliative care services to provide care for all will be tested. There are challenges in determining how to integrate specialist and generalist services. Caring for older persons with cancer requires consideration of the whole person - a perspective that is routine for general practice and primary care. This contextual knowledge could be very valuable in planning cancer treatment. In particular, the patient's aims for treatment, physical and cognitive state, and social circumstances have to be taken into account. The care for carers, who will often have their own medical problems in addition to the burden of care, could be a first step in engaging general practice/primary care routinely into cancer care.