Geriatric syndromes in peri-operative elderly cancer patients

Due to the expanding geriatric population and the high incidence of cancer in this age group, there is an increased burden on clinical oncologists. Elderly patients suffer from one or more chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, COPD, or diabetes. Besides affecting life expectancy, comorbid conditions may complicate major surgery. Accurate prediction of surgical risk is of paramount importance. Numerous papers have documented that older patients can undergo surgery with similar cancer related survival to younger patients. It has been demonstrated that age related variables are associated with an increased risk in post-surgical complications. The term “geriatric syndrome” needs further clinical evaluation and understanding. It is used to capture those clinical conditions in older persons that do not fit into discrete disease categories. Geriatric syndromes including delirium, falls, frailty, dizziness, syncope and urinary incontinence, are among the most common conditions facing geriatricians. This article focuses on geriatric syndromes in post-surgical patients and their management.