[What's new in geriatric oncology?]. / Quoi de neuf dans l'organisation de l'oncogériatrie?

Remarkably, although 60% of new cancer cases and over 70% of cancer deaths occur in patients aged 65 years and older in Europe, standard treatment strategies have been mostly validated in younger adults. This demographic trend has led to the emergence of a new medical discipline, geriatric oncology and the development worldwide of geriatric oncology programs for the individualized management of elderly cancer patients. Elderly cancer patients represent an increasing share of the population and strategies for treating cancer must evolve to face this ineluctable reality. Treatment should take into account the highly heterogeneous physiological age of the elderly, their individual life expectancy, functional reserves, social support and preferences. French geriatric oncology programs have been mostly based on the interdependence of geriatricians, oncologists and auxiliary nursing people. This approach represent the best way to offer patients optimal management; oncologists and geriatricians collaborate to assess both global health status by means of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and tumor stage by means of Comprehensive Tumor Assessment (CTA) and to initiate individualized care plans, involving comprehensive management and follow-up of all identified problems. This paper focuses on progress observed in the field of geriatric oncology both in France and worldwide.

Alcohol abuse and dependence in elderly emergency department patients.

Although elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of alcohol, alcohol use disorders in late life have received relatively little attention in the literature. Our objectives were to assess the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (abuse and dependence), the medical profile and psychosocial characteristics in elderly people visiting emergency department (ED). A cohort of 2405 patients aged over 60 who came to the ED of a university hospital during a 3-month period was studied. Alcohol use disorder diagnosis (DSM-IV), medical profile and social characteristics were collected from retrospective review of patient files. The data derived from 128 patients (mean age, 69.8+/-6.8 years; 87% males) with alcohol use disorders and 128 non-alcoholic controls. The prevalence of current alcohol use disorder was 5.3%. The most common current alcohol-induced disorders were alcohol intoxication and alcohol-induced mood disorder. Social factors associated with alcohol use disorders were being homeless, living alone, being divorced and never married. Falls and delirium were frequent ED admission circumstances in elderly drinkers. Drinkers more commonly presented with gastrointestinal disorders. In conclusion, alcohol use disorders among older patients admitted in ED are common and occur more frequently among men. Falls and delirium are the main ED admission circumstances in elderly drinkers. Alcohol use disorders are also associated with gastrointestinal problems.

How pain and analgesics disturb sleep.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical experiences as well as specific investigations show that pain and sleep disturbances are closely correlated. The aims of this review are first to describe sleep disturbances related to painful medical diseases and analgesics and secondly to propose management possibilities for these sleep disturbances. METHOD: The viewpoints presented were based mainly on objective rest activity and sleep studies using actigraphy and polysomnography. RESULTS: Polysomnographic and actigraphic studies have described significant sleep disturbances in patients suffering from different pain disorders. These disturbances are: reduced sleep efficiency and altered sleep architecture characterized by increased wakefulness and stage 1 non-rapid eye movement sleep, associated with diminished slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep. Sleep disturbances may be related to pain and to the analgesic or sedative medications administered. CONCLUSION: If many factors, including pain, disease process per se, as well as medication, could disturb sleep, sleep disturbances may also adversely affect the natural course of the painful disease. Improving sleep quantity and quality in patients with painful disorders may break this vicious circle and as consequence enhance the patients' overall health and quality of life.

[The handling of anti-cancer drugs in elderly patients]. / Le maniement des médicaments anticancéreux chez les malades âgés.

UNLABELLED: The management of elderly patients with cancer is not established. The use of antineoplastic agents (particularly of chemotherapy) raises a lot of questions. Efficiency and toxicity. Data come from subgroups of clinical trials and from selected populations. Chronological age itself does not contra-indicate chemotherapy. Pharmacokinetics. Physiologic and functional changes occur with aging but there is great inter-patient variability. Oral chemotherapy. Oral treatments underline the problem of compliance. Under-treatment. Elderly patients are under-represented in clinical trials. Relevant issues have to be defined individually and cancer's real place in patient's general situation has to be specified. Geriatric assessment. This tool has proved its usefulness in many domains for global management of elderly patients. A multidisciplinary team is necessary, under geriatrician coordination. The aim is to elaborate an individualized medico-social intervention program. Geriatric assessment in oncology. Its interest for cancer patients is shown by emerging reports but its routine use by oncologists is impossible. Treatment strategies. They are not validated. FUTURE: New clinical and pharmacokinetic studies are necessary in order to specify the place of the various tools and to enhance the handling of such molecules.