Treating and caring for an ageing population

Around 138,000 people aged 75 and over are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK (2017-2019). This number is projected to rise to more than 227,000 by 2040, largely due to an ageing population.

Cancer survival has doubled over the last 50 years. However, survival is still lower among those diagnosed at age 75 or older for many common cancer sites in England. Older people are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer via emergency presentation in England, and less likely to get many types of treatment.

This combination of facts highlights the urgent need for older patients, who are more likely to have multiple health conditions or need help from social care, to be given better support.

In our report, we call on cancer services to act now, to make sure they are prepared for the rising numbers of older patients with more complex needs.

This includes ensuring staff have enough time to spend caring for patients, better assessments to help make the right decisions about the best treatments, and better evidence of how medication affects older patients.

Through this research, we sought to understand the specific needs of older patients, and to explore the process of clinical decision-making for older people with cancer across the UK.

This research was conducted by the University of Birmingham’s Health Services Management Centre and ICF International. In the policy briefing, the research is presented alongside relevant findings from other recent CRUK research and our own statistical analysis.