Serious co-morbidity among unselected cancer patients newly diagnosed in the southeastern part of the Netherlands in 1993-1996

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of serious concom itant conditions at diagnosis among unselected patients with cancer, increa singly older in industrialized countries. About 34,000 newly diagnosed canc er patients were recorded in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry between 1993 and 1996; subsequently data on serious co-morbidity, classified according to t he Charlson scheme (J Chron Dis 1987; 40: 373-383), were collected from the clinical records by registry personnel. Co-morbid conditions were present in 12% of adult patients below 45 years of age, 28% of those 45-59 years, 5 3% of those 60-74 years, and 63% of patients over 75 years of age, the prev alence being highest for patients with lung (58%), kidney (54%), stomach (5 3%), bladder (53%), and prostate cancer (51%). Males exhibited a 10% higher prevalence than females with similar tumors. Among patients over 60 years the most frequent conditions were heart and vascular diseases (ranging acro ss the various tumors from 10% to 30%), hypertension (11-25%), another canc er (10-20%), COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) (3-25%), and diab etes mellitus (5-25%). Inclusion of frequent co-morbid conditions in progno stic research as well as the development of specific guidelines for patient care seems warranted. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.