Self-perceived aging can affect the prognosis of elderly cancer patients

A study at the University of Liège (Belgium) reveals that a change in people’s perception of the experience of aging can go a long way in improving their chances of surviving cancer, especially in elderly patients , once the disease is diagnosed. The study was published in Cancer medicine.

Corresponding study author Sarah Schroyen, a doctor at the University of Liège, says that the perception of age in the elderly can affect the outcome of therapy, which is confirmed by the results of the study. According to Sarah Schroyen, being overly aware of her age increases the risk of death in older patients who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Three times more likely to die when you feel old

For this study, the researchers followed the medical records of 140 people aged 65 who had been diagnosed with non-metastatic cancer for six years. At the end of the study, taking into account potentially influencing factors, the researchers found that people who had a negative image of their aging were 3.62 times more likely to die than those who had a more positive perception. of their aging.

“This research highlights the importance of self-perception of aging for our health and reminds us of the need to change our attitudes towards the elderly,” says Sarah Schroyen.

According to her, if several studies have already shown how self-perception of age can significantly predict mental and physical health, in this case, the team analyzed the effect of self-perception of age on mortality in a specific context: that of geriatric oncology.

The researcher concluded that self-perceived age influences mortality in the elderly in the specific context of oncology. Therefore, the need to change our attitudes towards aging and the elderly indirectly implied by these results is discussed.

Better to have a good perception of your age

The results of the study confirm that self-perceived age has an influence on mortality, especially in the elderly with negative self-perceived age. These results remain unchanged even after applying controls on age, sex, level of education and cognition, oncological information known by the patient (the site and type of cancer), as well as health. starting physical and mental.

According to Sarah Schroyen, although the study did not produce information regarding the cause of death, but only on self-perceived age, it remains relevant. “Having information on how we perceive our old age before diagnosis and seeing if there is a change in self-perception of age after it can help us better understand its mechanism. This perception could be malleable and potentially modified by different interventions ”.

The researchers suggest that future studies be conducted to further analyze the effect of psychological intervention on self-perceived age. The fact that these results need to be reproduced and further developed was also underlined by the research team.

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