Geography Plays Role in Care for Elderly Cancer Patients: Study

If you’re an elderly patient with cancer, where you live may play a big part in how aggressive your medical treatment is during the last month of life, the Tampa Bay Times reports. According to a study by the Dartmouth Atlas Group, about 28.8 percent of cancer patients across the country were admitted for intensive care in their last days. But in many cities in Florida, that percentage is much higher, even though many patients say they would rather spend the last part of their lives at home. Take St. Petersburg, where 45 percent of cancer patients were admitted to the ICU during the last month of life.