Director's Update: November 4, 2003
We know that the risk of developing cancer increases with age and - as the population of older Americans expands over the next several decades - we can only assume that the burden of cancer on our society also will increase. By 2030, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 years or older, and close to 60 percent of new cancers and 70 percent of cancer deaths now occur in this population. Despite this increased risk, current health care practices frequently fall short of providing the best available early detection, treatment, and care that older Americans richly deserve. And, as more older Americans survive their cancers, they will face a greater chance of experiencing added health problems, disabling conditions, and recurrent cancers. These statistics and perspectives underscore the fact that we need to more fully understand the behavior of cancer, responses to therapy, and the aftereffects that are unique to the older patient so we can more effectively respond to this growing health concern.
Gaps in our knowledge of aging and cancer are affecting our ability to effectively prevent and treat cancer in older people. To advance research in this area, we are partnering with the National Institute on Aging (NIA) - also part of the National Institutes of Health - in providing support for studies exploring the many aspects of the cancer and aging relationship. In addition, we have joined NIA in funding a 5-year grant program to encourage research in this area at NCI-designated Cancer Centers, and in October, we announced the names of eight Cancer Centers that will receive funding through this initiative. These centers will pursue studies on the biology of aging and cancer, patterns of care, treatment efficacy and tolerance, the effects of comorbidity, prevention and screening in older persons, and symptom management and palliative care in older patients. The findings from this research will enable us to answer numerous questions, such as "Why does cancer occur more frequently in older persons? Does cancer behave differently in the young and the old? How can we adapt prevention and screening services to reach a greater number of older persons? Do we need to develop different treatments for different age groups of cancer patients?" More importantly, these findings will enable us to offer better health care to older people by allowing us to develop improved strategies to detect, prevent, and treat cancer in this population.
We also have teamed with NIA - with the technical assistance of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) - to launch a much-needed Web site specifically aimed at providing a range of health information to seniors, including information on the four leading types of cancer. The new Web site, NIHSeniorHealth.gov, was initially developed by NIA and NLM, who brought together researchers who study cognition, Web site design, and communications at the two institutes to fashion a site that is easy for older adults to read, understand, remember, and navigate.
Consistent page layout and prompts help older adults move from one place to another on the site without feeling lost or overwhelmed. The lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate modules provide general background information, quizzes, frequently asked questions (FAQs), open-captioned video clips, transcripts for the videos, and photos and illustrations with captions. NIHSeniorHealth.gov will have a "talking" function, which will give users the option of reading the text or listening to it as it is read to them. This new Web site is based on the latest research on cognition and aging and should prove to be an accessible and understandable way for seniors to find information about their health, particularly when they are faced with a health issue as challenging as a cancer diagnosis. I invite you to visit the NIHSeniorHealth.gov Web site to view its resources for older Americans.
Improvements in medicine are helping people live longer. But, with this longevity, we are faced with a growing population in which the risk of cancer is a pressing concern. As a result, the need for research at the aging-cancer interface has never been more critical. Through NCI/NIA partnerships, we will be able to bring to bear the expertise and unique perspectives of aging and cancer scientists so we may improve the quality of cancer care for all older Americans. In addition, we will continue to work in the coming year with organizations such as AARP to determine how we can better meet the needs of older Americans.
Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.
Director, National Cancer Institute
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