Copyright @ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Jesse Jansen, MA Julia van Weert, PhD Sandra van Dulmen, PhD Thea Heeren, MD, PhD Jozien Bensing, PhD Patient Education About Treatment in Cancer Care An Overview of the Literature on Older Patients’ Needs K E Y W O R D S Cancer Communication Older patients Patient education Patient needs Professional-patient relations Review Treatment An increasing number of older people are treated for cancer. Several factors, such as comorbidity and sensory deficits, occur more frequently in older patients than in younger patients. In addition, their life circumstances, values, and preferences may differ. These factors ask for tailored nurseYolder patient communication. This article reviews recent literature on the specific needs of older patients with cancer in the treatment phase of the disease. No studies addressed treatment-related needs of older patients specifically. Seventeen studies controlled for age showed that many older patients want as much information on disease and treatment as possible, but they are less interested in details than younger patients. Furthermore, older patients reported less need for information on sexual consequences and psychosocial support. The results remain difficult to interpret because of variation in study designs and questionnaires. Moreover, none of the studies controlled for age-related variables. Studies that illuminate the unique needs of older patients with cancer in the treatment phase of the disease are strikingly limited given the demographics of cancer in our society. Research is needed that explicitly investigates these needs and the influence of age-related changes in cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functioning. C ancer is primarily a disease of older people with approximately 60% of all cancer-related deaths occurring in individuals 65 years and older. As the world population is aging, it is estimated that there will be an increasing number of older patients with cancer in the years ahead. 1 Most of these patients receive treatment at some time during their disease. Although the older patient population is highly heterogeneous, a large number of them also experience physical and psychosocial conditions such as comorbidity and cognitive decline that can influence (the adverse effects of) Older Patients’ Needs Cancer Nursing TM , Vol. 30, No. 4, 2007 n 251 Copyright B 2007 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins From the NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Utrecht, (Drs Jansen, van Weert, van Dulmen, and Bensing); Symfora Group, Amersfoort, and Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Dr Heeren); and the Department of Health Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht (Dr Bensing), The Netherlands. Corresponding author: Jesse Jansen, MA, NIVEL, PO Box 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands (e-mail: j.jansen@nivel.nl). Accepted for publication January 17, 2007.