Functional Capacity Assessment in Oncogeriatric | Biomedgrid

In the last decades, the number of elderly people in the world population has increased, a conquest of humanity, through improvements in health, education and economics, among other factors that contribute to a greater longevity [1,2]. The increase in the life expectancy of the population occurs together with the increase in the prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases, which rise from 60 years, among them cancer [3,4]. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the world had an incidence of about 11 million cancer cases in 2002, where 45% of cases were people 65 years of age or older. This incidence increased to 14 million in 2012 and the elderly represent 47% of these cases [5]. By 2050, projections estimate that three out of five cases of cancer will occur among the elderly [6]. This information reinforces the need for integrated action between two areas of health, oncology and geriatrics, called geriatric oncology or oncogeriatric, capable of understanding and treating the elderly oncology, taking into account their specificities [7]. This new approach evidences global functionality as a health predictor. Its identification can help in the prediction of tolerance to cancer treatment, as well as structure conducts directed to this age group [8].