Cancer is a disease of aging as older adults are much more likely to develop cancer compared with their younger counterparts. Understanding the biology of cancer and aging remains complex, and numerous theories regarding the relationship between the two have been proposed. Cancer treatment decisions in older patients are particularly challenging, because the evidence is scarce and the risk of toxicity increases with age. Determination of biologic age is essential due to heterogeneity of functional status, comorbidity, and physiologic reserves between patients of the same chronologic age.
Keywords: Aging; Biology; Biomarker; Cancer; Geriatric assessment.
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