Palliative Care in Cancer Patients Aged 80 Years and Older: Clinical Profile and Survival Analysis

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All articles of this category (opens in new window) Address for correspondence Gustavo Henrique Barboza Nascimento (gustavohbn@hotmail.com) Introduction: Cancer patients aged 80 or above often face a complex clinical scenario, with multiple comorbidities, functional decline, and higher risk of treatment-related complications. While early palliative care is widely recommended, in real-world settings, it’s still far from being systematically applied—especially in older adults. Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cancer patients aged ≥80 years treated at a public hospital in São Paulo, and to explore how palliative care follow-up relates to clinical complexity and overall survival. Methods: This retrospective study included patients aged ≥80 years diagnosed with cancer between 2022 and 2024. We collected demographic and clinical data such as Charlson Comorbidity Index (age-adjusted), ECOG performance status, metastatic disease, number of treatment lines, and whether the patient had palliative care follow-up. Overall survival was measured in decimal months from diagnosis. This is part of a broader exploratory study on comorbidities in elderly cancer patients (CAAE: 73379623.3.0000.0082). Results: A total of 203 patients were included, median age 83. Most were women. The most frequent tumors were in the gastrointestinal tract, breast, lung, and urinary tract. Only 53 patients (26.1%) were followed by the palliative care team. These patients had a higher Charlson score (9.8 vs. 7.8) and more frequently showed ECOG ≥2. Their average overall survival was 16.7 months, compared to 31.3 months in those not followed. They also tended to receive fewer treatment lines, suggesting they were referred later, when disease burden or functional status was already compromised. Conclusion: Even though many patients met criteria for early palliative care, only a minority received it. The clinical profile of those followed supports the decision, but the timing of referral seems late in most cases. To improve care for very old cancer patients, institutions should prioritize early identification of frailty and clinical complexity. Publication History Article published online: 26 June 2026 © 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda. Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil Bibliographical Record Gustavo Henrique Barboza Nascimento, Daniele Evaristo Vieira Alves, Auro del Giglio, Daniel de Iracema Gomes Cubero, Janine Capobiango Martins, Claudia Vaz de Melo Sette. Palliative Care in Cancer Patients Aged 80 Years and Older: Clinical Profile and Survival Analysis. Brazilian Journal of Oncology 2026; 22. DOI: 10.1055/s-0046-1825413

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