From some reflections on the aging to the assessment of the aged cancer patient

In old age, cancer is the second most common cause of death with a tenfold incidence rate of persons older than 65 years as compared to those younger than 65 years. Oncologic treatments are often aggressive and may cause severe acute side-effects, therefore a multidimensional evaluation is necessary for therapeutic guidelines. In order to have all the information required to optimize the oncologic therapies, with special reference to radiation therapy, a multidimensional log for elderly cancer patients to gather information on their personal characteristics, besides the specific data regarding the tumor and associated radiation therapy, is proposed for use of the centers participating in the 'Gruppo Italiano di Oncologia Geriatrica' (GROG).