Self-perception of aging may affect the prognosis of older patients with cancer

Self-perception of aging—or attitudes toward one's aging experience—may affect older individuals' risk of dying early after being diagnosed with cancer, according to results from a study published in Cancer Medicine.

In the study of 140 individuals aged 65 years and older who were diagnosed with non-metastatic cancer and were followed for up to six years, participants with more negative self-perception of aging were 3.62 times more likely to die than those with a more positive self-perception of aging, after adjusting for potential influential factors.

"This research highlights the importance of self-perceptions of aging for our health, and remind us of the need to change our attitudes towards older people," said corresponding author Sarah Schroyen, Ph.D., of the University of Liège, in Belgium.