Self‐perception of aging may impact older cancer patients' mortality risk

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Feb 5 2020

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."

Sarah Schroyen, PhD, corresponding author, University of Liège, in Belgium