Cancer in Long Term Care

Developed by the Cancer and Aging Special Interest Group & Long Term Care Special Interest Group.
Moderator: Beatriz Korc-Grodzicki, MD, PhD, Chief of Geriatric Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The purpose of this workshop is to describe the types of cancer patients in long term care and to provide a framework for clinical decision making. This workshop will discuss some of the challenges in caring for older cancer patients that are residents of nursing homes (NH) including 1) understanding the benefits and risks of providing standard therapy to a vulnerable population 2) presenting best estimates of the current burden of cancer in the long-term-care population, 3) providing a review of the current screening guidelines as they apply to elderly long-term-care patients, and 4) offering experienced-based suggestions for clinicians to help them respond to patient and family concerns about the limitations of cancer care.  

Long-Term Care and Its Resident. Estimating Life Expectancy
Miriam B. Rodin, MD, PhD, CMD, Associate Professor Geriatrics, St. Louis University Medical School

Should this Patient be Screened for Cancer?
James A. Wallace, MD, Co-Director Specialized Oncologic Care and Research of the Elderly (SOCARE), University of Chicago – Oncology/Geriatrics 

How to Discuss Cancer in the Nursing Home with Patients and Families
Rachelle Bernacki, MD, MS, Director of Quality Initiatives, Pain and Palliative Care Program, Dana Farber Cancer Institute