Primary prevention, aging, and cancer: Overview and future perspectives

Abstract

Cancer-specific primary prevention efforts for the geriatric population are not understood well and currently are underused despite the rapidly growing elderly population. It has been established that lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation, dietary changes, and increasing physical activity, decrease the incidence of cancer in younger populations. However, a multitude of conceptual, methodological, and dissemination challenges arise when the objective is to apply primary prevention of cancer to the elderly. For this article, the state of the science was reviewed to reveal barriers in the uptake of cancer-specific primary prevention practices, including the lack of data for the applicability of clinical research findings to older populations. Under-representation of older adults in behavioral trials and research programs is hindering progress in understanding the physical health and lifestyle choices of older individuals. Efforts directed toward prevention in terms of promoting health behaviors may be not only clinically advantageous but also cost-effective. In addition, models for translating research findings on primary prevention from younger individuals to the elderly population needs to be addressed. Practitioners need to gain a better understanding of the opportunities for cancer-specific primary prevention, because such an understanding could enhance the management of chronic disease. Cancer 2008;113(12 suppl): 3484-92.

The effect of aging and cancer on the symptom experience and physical function of elderly breast cancer survivors

“…It is noteworthy that the relations between age and the predictor variables were weaker than the relations between comorbidity, physical function, emotional status, symptoms, and social support. The impact of heterogeneity of health status among the elderly13, 27‐31 because of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors was supported by the lack of strong direct effects of age on the endogenous variables. Alternately, the minimal effect of age may be because of the restricted age range of the sample.…”

Primäre Krebsprävention

“…Es ist gesichert, dass Lebensstiländerungen hinsichtlich des Tabak-und Alkoholkonsums, des psychosozialen Stresses sowie Änderungen von Ernährungsgewohnheiten -weg von "fast food, high calorie food, low minerals and vitamins and fibres" sowie von "high red meat nutrition" -und eine vermehrte körperliche Aktivität das Krebsrisiko in der jüngeren Population senken. Es ergibt sich aber ein Bündel schwieriger konzeptioneller, methodologischer und kommunikativer Probleme, wenn diese gesicherten Ergebnisse in Handlungsanweisungen zur Krebsprävention für die ältere Generation um gesetzt und angewendet werden sollen [6]. So unterscheidet sich z.…”

Aging in the context of cancer prevention and control: Perspectives from behavioral medicine

“…Miller et al 32 provide a brief description of oncologic primary prevention efforts in the geriatric population and highlight several conceptual, methodologic,, and dissemination challenges that arise when applying the primary prevention of cancer to the elderly. Sheinfeld Gorin et al 33 present a taxonomy of barriers to screening research and practice among those aged ≥65 years at 3 levels: the macro level (policy and population), the organizational and provider level, and the interindividual and intraindividual level.…”