ABSTRACT
Supportive care refers to the management of symptoms or side effects for
patients who carry a diagnosis of cancer. The term encompasses a broad range of
meaning as in “best supportive care,” which generally implies an alternative to
disease management employing chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or targeted
therapies. Supportive care instead focuses on management of symptoms that
develop as a result of disease progression. Such usage of the term is synonymous
with palliative care. In addition, supportive care suggests aggressive management
of disease-related symptoms as well as side effects from treatment employed to
reduce the risk of disease recurrence. In the case of incurable malignancies,
supportive care measures enhance quality of life and minimize symptoms of
chemotherapy used to control disease progression. Supportive care can vary in
approach and the level of complexity. Older cancer patients have unique
needs that can impact the approach to maintaining optimal supportive care.
Malignancy-related symptoms can negatively impact quality of life, and in some
cases can also serve as critical determinants in assessing prognosis (1). The
decline in organ function, along with multiple comorbidities, can make the
treatment of cancer as well as the administration of palliative care a significant
challenge for the healthcare team. Furthermore, communication may be com-
promised by auditory, visual, or cognitive deficits. Nevertheless, the goals of
supportive care in older cancer patients are not unlike those of their younger
counterparts, specifically, to prolong the duration of life, while optimizing
quality of life.
