The influence of symptoms, age, comorbidity and cancer site on physical functioning and mental health of geriatric women patients

This article focuses on how cancer site, age and comorbid conditions of eld erly women cancer patients influence their reporting of symptoms; how these variables in turn impact their physical functioning and mental health; and whether there are differences according to the site of the cancer. For the study, a sample of 299 women, age 65 and above, was selected from an on-go ing longitudinal study of cancer patients recruited from six cancer treatme nt centers in Michigan and who were recently diagnosed with breast, colon o r lung cancer. Age, comorbidity and cancer site were predictors of symptom severity. Age, comorbidity, symptom severity and cancer site were significa nt predictors of physical functioning, while mental health scores were only predicted by symptom severity. Lung cancer patients reported greater losse s in physical functioning than either breast or colon cancer patients, howe ver there were no significant differences in average mental health scores a mong the three cancer sites. A systematic and comprehensive approach to sel f-care management of symptom distress provided by oncologists and other hea lth care professionals may enable patients, especially elderly patients wit h comorbid conditions, to successfully alleviate or reduce the impact of sy mptoms on their lives.