Aging and cancer.

DEFINITION: The most significant risk factor associated with developing cancer is age, with 60 percent of all cancers occurring in people who are sixty-five and over. Mortality rates are also highest in this age group; older individuals typically have additional chronic medical conditions that enhance the risk for simultaneously occurring psychiatric morbidity. These complex and potentiating trends have created clinical challenges that threaten to overwhelm the health care system. Based on projections by the National Institute on Aging, 1 in 5 Americans will be over the age of sixty-five by 2050. Researchers and physicians are working to understand the influence of age on cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment, with the goal of modifying infrastructure, practices, and the educational preparation for future healthcare providers.