Integrated care for older people with cancer: a primary care focus
Wee Kheng Soo, Vicky Yin, Jane Crowe, Heather Lane, Christopher Steer, Pēteris Dārziņš, Ian D. Davis
Abstract
Estimates from a 2023 study indicate that cancer will continue to grow as a leading cause of health and economic burden alongside global population ageing.1 Consequently, health-care providers, including primary care teams, will increasingly face substantial challenges in caring for older people with cancer who have evolving, complex, and specific needs. More than 60% of new cancer diagnoses occur in adults aged 65 years and older in high-income countries, underpinning the importance of empowering primary health-care providers (including general practitioners, community nurses, allied health professionals, and pharmacists) to provide high-quality care to this at-risk population.