Elderly cancer patients' desire for formal psychological support

Background: Growing evidence suggests that when a treatment decision has to be made, at cancer diagnosis or when the disease progresses, the overall health of the elderly cancer patients should be assessed using Multimodal Geriatric Assessment (MGA) to detect unsuspected health problems, predict tolerance to treatment, and predict survival. However, little is known about distress of the elderly cancer patients and their relatives in this context, and their desire for psychological support in this context. This article aims to review the current knowledge about psychological distress of elderly patients facing cancer, psychological interventions devoted to them, and finally, their desire for psychological support. Preliminary results of a Belgian study, currently being conducted at a cancer center, investigating elderly cancer inpatients' desire for psychological support when a treatment decision has to be made are also described.