Abstract
Background: Demographic evolution in Brazil is immersed in a dynamic of significant population aging. Geriatric oncology, in this context, is a vital branch of medicine, given the preponderance of oncological pathologies in this age group.
Aim: To conduct a toxicity analysis in oncogeriatric patients treated at the Hospital Universitário São Francisco na Providência de Deus (HUSF), Bragança Paulista - SP, Brazil.
Method: The medical records of patients aged 65 and over who underwent chemotherapy regimens within the stipulated period were reviewed. Patients who underwent at least one cycle of chemotherapy, with adequate clinical and treatment data and sufficiently documented in their medical records, were included in the study.
Results: The present study included a universe of 38 patients, subdivided into two main treatment groups: 24 patients in palliative treatment, 12 in adjuvant treatment and 2 in neoadjuvant treatment. The toxicity assessment, one of the crucial points of this research, brought to light relevant data on the profile and tolerability of treatment in the elderly population, highlighting nuances that lead to important clinical and practical reflections. It was identified that grade 1 toxicity was universally present, affecting all 38 patients. This indication shows the inevitability of a certain measure of toxicity, even to a minimal degree, during chemotherapy regimens in older populations. Regarding grade 2 toxicity, this was observed in 22 patients, while grade 3 toxicity was identified in 3 patients.
Conclusion: This discussion aims to encourage the development of strategies that are anchored not only in the disease to be treated, but also in the uniqueness of the elderly patient, with their capabilities, challenges, and needs. The future of toxicity management in oncogeriatrics may well lie in a model that, while scientifically and clinically rigorous, is also characterized by a profound humanization and individualization of care.
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