From medical oncologist to geriatric oncologist—Worth the trip

Geriatric oncology is an emerging discipline focusing on the care of older patients with cancer. Caring for older cancer patients is a challenge. In elders the cancer frequency takes second place to other medical problems, a circumstance most oncologists has not been trained to deal with. This perspective describes how the field emerged, how and why I became interested, why caring for older patients is so rewarding, and the challenges ahead of us.